Shabwa: UAE-backed militias block roads, stir panic in Ataq

SHABWA, June 27 (YPA) – UAE-backed factions on Friday blocked several main streets in the city of Ataq, the capital of Shabwa Governorate in southeastern Yemen, in what was described as a “provocative act of thuggery.”

Eyewitnesses confirmed that a number of armored vehicles and military equipment left the camp of the so-called “Support Brigade of the Shabwa Defense Factions,” led by Ahmad Hadi Al-Dhalei, and blocked several streets in Ataq, with no clear reason given.

They added that the personnel aboard the armored vehicles forced drivers to go against traffic, particularly in the Gold Market area, in a manner that provoked citizens and was described as armed thuggery.

The eyewitnesses noted that there were no tasks or operations justifying the deployment of the military  vehicles, which eventually returned to the camp after causing panic among residents.

This incident comes amid ongoing security chaos in Shabwa’s districts, due to the presence of around 21 brigades affiliated with Emirati and Saudi-backed factions, including the “Al-Amaliqa Brigades,” which were formed over the past years from Salafi groups and extremist elements in Lahij and Dhalea.

@E.Y.M