STC factions force merchants to pay zakat in Aden

ADEN, March 24 (YPA) – Members of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) are collecting Zakat from merchants and businesses by force for the benefit of their military leaders in Aden province, local sources revealed.

The sources reported that these elements are roaming shops in the Abd al-Qawi area of ​​Sheikh Othman district, forcing shop owners to pay large sums of money under the guise of “Zakat”.

These practices have sparked widespread resentment among the region’s residents, who consider the collection of Zakat in this manner a flagrant violation of religious values ​​and morals, without the authority of the relevant authorities.

This comes after the director of the Al-Imad Police Department, Salem Ali Mansour Dafaq, loyal to the STC, forcibly collected Zakat from factory, farm, and livestock owners in recent days.