Curfew imposed in Aden ahead of Saudi-backed forces’ entry
ADEN, Jan. 07 (YPA) -The authorities loyal to the Saudi-led coalition announced on Wednesday an unprecedented state of military alert throughout the city of Aden, in what was described as the final step paving the way for the entry of the Saudi-backed “Dera Al-Watan” forces, following the removal of UAE-backed factions from the southern scene.
The UAE-funded Giants (Al-Amaliqa) Brigades, led by the Salafist figure Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami, who is currently in the Saudi capital Riyadh, announced a surprise curfew in the city from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., until further notice.
Sources familiar with the matter confirmed that the measure aims to secure the routes for the “Dera Al-Watan” forces coming from the Abyan road into Aden and to avoid direct clashes with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), whose elements are believed to have formed resistance cells against the Saudi-aligned forces after acquiring thousands of weapons over the past two days in preparation for a “revenge battle.”
The sources added that hundreds of military vehicles belonging to the Giants Brigades deployed across the city in recent hours after securing Ma’ashiq Palace in Crater, the Central Bank, and other vital facilities on Tuesday, following widespread chaos and looting that targeted military camps and official and commercial facilities — including STC offices and affiliated media institutions such as Aden Independent Channel.
Meanwhile, STC supporters leveled sharp accusations against the commander of the Al-Amaliqa Brigades, Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami, considering the curfew to be nothing more than “a cover allowing terrorist elements to move freely within Aden’s neighborhoods and to impose a new reality.”
In a dangerous escalation, one recruit from the UAE-backed Giants Brigades appeared in a video circulating on social media issuing fiery threats, vowing armed confrontations inside the city against the ” Dera Al-Watan” forces if they attempted to raise the flag of the Republic of Yemen.
The threats did not stop there; he also hinted at carrying out assassinations and regionally motivated killings against recruits from northern governorates serving within the Saudi-backed forces.
He added that these operations would be carried out as revenge for fighters from the STC and Giants Brigades who were killed in Saudi airstrikes in Hadramout — and as retaliation for prisoners who were killed while withdrawing from eastern Yemeni areas earlier this month.
@E.Y.M