Saudi Command orders UAE-backed STC factions to leave Al-Anad military base

ADEN, Sept. 04 (YPA) – Saudi leadership in Aden is planning to remove the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) factions from the Al-Anad military base in Lahj province, southern Yemen, sources revealed on Wednesday.

The Saudi command, based at the Saudi-led Coalition headquarters in the Al-Buraiqah area of Aden, has instructed the STC-affiliated Commander of the Fourth Military Region, Fadl Hassan Al-Amri, to evacuate the base and hand it over to the Saudi-funded “Dera Al-Wattan” forces, which were established by a decision from Rashad Al-Alimi, the President of the Presidential Council, early last year.

The Commander of Dera Al-Wattan, Bashir Al-Modarbi Al-Subaihi, has demanded that Al-Amri immediately remove the STC factions from the Al-Anad base following the completion of training sessions that his forces conducted there over the past months.

Saudi Arabia aims to limit the military control of the STC in various southern regions since the formation of the “Dera Al-Wattan” forces and their initial control over the Shaab area, the largest district in the province of Aden.

The region has experienced increasing tension following armed clashes between the “Fourth Brigade” of Dera Al-Wattan and armed members of the Al-Quraishi tribe in the Al-Hawashib area near the Al-Malah district last Sunday.

The clashes resulted in eight casualties and injuries after an attempt by Dera Al-Wattan commander Osama Al-Radfani to establish a camp for the factions on Jebel Al-Zaytouna in Radfan.

The Dera Al-Wattan forces had previously been deployed in various districts of Lahj, removing elements of the “Fourth Brigade” loyal to the STC from the Al-Tur Al-Baha district and several strategic areas near Al-Mudharibah and Ras Al-Arah overlooking the Bab Al-Mandab strait.

@E.Y.M