STC leaders defected, joined recently Saudi-formed ‘Dera Al-Watan Forces’

LAHJ, Feb. 12 (YPA) – A new group of officers from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has defected and joined the recently Saudi-funded “Dera Al-Watan forces” (Shield of the Homeland) in southern Yemen.

This was reported by Yemen News Portal, based on testimonies of local sources.

According to sources, a number of Security Belt officers in the Al-Anad sector in Lahj province in defected and joined the Shield of the Homeland forces.

The defected officers identified as Muhammad Ali Murshid Nasser, Muhammad Salem Saleh, Nasser Ahmed Muhammad Medlaj. All of them are company commanders.

According to the sources, another group of the Security Belt left its camp in the city of Zinjibar, the center of the province, waiting for the approval of the Shield of the Homeland forces to join them.

The defection of the commander of the Security Belt in the Mansoura district of Aden, Ismail Ahmed Al-Subaihi, yesterday encouraged his colleagues to leave their units and join the “Shield of the Homeland”.

During the last period, Saudi Arabia deliberately cut off the salaries of the STC militia at a time when it sought to pay the salaries of the “Shield of the Homeland forces” in double amounts in order to push the STC officers and soldiers to join the recently formed forces.

E.M