Two Saudi-backed fighters killed in Hadramout ambush

HADRAMOUT, Jan. 18 (YPA) – Two members of the Saudi-backed Dera al-Watan factions were killed and another was seriously wounded on Sunday following an armed ambush in Hadramout province.

Local sources said that the ambush targeted a military patrol on the road linking the Abr area in Hadramout with neighboring Shabwa province in southeastern Yemen.

According to the sources, unidentified gunmen carried out the ambush against the patrol belonging to the Dera al-Watan forces in the area.

The sources suggested that the attack may have been carried out by elements believed to be affiliated with the dissolved Southern Transitional Council, backed by the UAE. This incident comes amid rising tensions between rival military factions operating in the region.

The sources confirmed that one of the victims was identified as Mohammed Zaid Naji Massad Al-Kahali, while another recruit was also killed. The wounded soldier was transferred to a medical facility for treatment.

In response to the attack, the command of the so-called Second Brigade of the Third Division of the factions issued a statement declaring the desert areas surrounding the international road in the Abr–Al-Wadiya a closed military zone.

The statement warned travelers and civilians against leaving the main road or entering the desert area extending from the Abr Triangle to the Wadi point. It stated that any vehicles or individuals found outside the official route would be treated as hostile targets in accordance with established military procedures.

Separately, Saudi Arabia deployed additional military reinforcements from the Deraq al-Watan forces on Sunday to Yemen’s eastern border with Oman, specifically in the Shahn district of Mahra province.

Observers view this move as further confirmation of expanding Saudi influence in the area.

AA