US experts reportedly overseeing Kamikaze drone manufacturing operations in Shabwa

SHABWA, Oct. 03 (YPA) – Well-informed sources have revealed that US military experts stationed in Shabwa, southeastern Yemen, are directly supervising sensitive military operations — a role that goes far beyond mere advisory or evaluative tasks.

According to sources, the US military experts are currently based at Ataq Airport — a civilian facility that has been turned into a military base by the UAE. The experts are working from newly constructed Emirati installations in the northwest area of the airport, where they are said to be assessing the operational readiness of UAE-backed armed factions.

The information also confirms that Emirati forces, who have held control of Ataq Airport since 2021, have implemented major expansions, including the construction of drone hangars, a control room, and two large underground bunkers known as BA1 and BA2, reportedly designed for multiple military purposes.

Sources confirmed that the two underground bunkers are no longer used solely to shelter helicopters and drones. Instead, they have reportedly been converted into the main living and working quarters for the US experts.

BA1 is said to serve as accommodation and a meeting space, while BA2 has been turned into a specialist training workshop for the manufacture of explosives and “kamikaze” drones, allegedly under the direct supervision of Latin American contractors.

According to the sources, between eight and twelve former Colombian officers and soldiers are stationed at the base, who are directly tasked with training and qualifying members of the Shabwa Defence Forces and the Giants Brigades (Saba Axis) for extremist operations.

The hiring of these mercenaries is managed through covert security channels — most notably the Panama-registered Agency for International Services (A4SI), headed by a figure known as Colonel Quijano, and the GSSG Security Group in Abu Dhabi, owned by Mohammed Hamdan Al-Zaabi, who is reportedly closely connected to the Emirati royal family.

A financial dispute has surfaced among a group of mercenaries allegedly contracted by a UAE-linked entity, with sources saying they were promised $3,590 but received just $2,000.

These fighters are reported to have participated in numerous African conflict zones, including Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Comoros, Eritrea, Sudan, and Libya. In 2024, several were said to be supporting Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces during fierce battles near the airports of Nyala and El Fasher.

@E.Y.M