Saudi Arabia heading to resolve battle of Aden militarily

ADEN, Nov. 08 (YPA) – Saudi Arabia on Monday summoned its most powerful southern militia to the city of Aden, which is an indication that Saudi Arabia is heading to resolve the battle of Aden militarily, in conjunction with the escalation of tension with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).

The commander of the Saudi forces in Aden directed the commander of the so-called the brigade of “Shield of the Homeland” to raise the state of alert and readiness to enter Aden, Southern media reported, citing sources.

The directives stipulated that 5 brigades of this faction should be equipped to be deployed in the city, according to the sources.

The “Shield of the Homeland” Brigade was part of the Al-Amaliqa Brigade before it decided to rename its forces as “Shield of the Homeland”, which is led by Bashir Al-Mudrabi, loyal to Hamdi Shukri Al-Subaihi, who is known for his association with Islah and loyalty to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has supported a large-scale recruitment of these forces in the southern provinces recently, specifically Lahj, Abyan and Aden. Most of the faction’s fighters belong to the hardline Salafi current, along with al-Qaeda and ISIS.

It is not yet clear whether these forces, which have received training on the west coast in urban warfare, will be deployed in Aden or a Saudi attempt to pressure the STC to hand over the city and take out its factions, but the movement of this force indicates that Saudi Arabia is heading to resolve the battle of Aden militarily.

E.M