Tariq Saleh faces mounting accusations over western coast defeat

SANAA, Sept. 12 (YPA) – Commander Tariq Saleh, nephew of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, is facing a broad campaign of accusations from the Islah Party and Saudi-backed southern leaders over the military defeat suffered by Saudi Arabia on Yemen’s western coast.

Over the past 48 hours, Yemen’s political scene has witnessed heated exchanges between UAE-aligned forces on one side and the Islah Party and Saudi-backed forces on the other over the setback suffered by Saudi military buildups along Yemen’s western coast, which Sanaa forces reportedly overcame within hours, enabling them to establish full control over the western coast.

The Islah Party and Saudi-backed forces have based their accusations on what they describe as Tariq Saleh’s long history of betrayals. They cite his previous role among those they refer to as the Ansarullah movement, followed by his alignment with the UAE after fleeing Sanaa. They also point to Tariq Saleh’s withdrawal from the outskirts of Hodeida to Mocha in Taiz Governorate in October 2021 without coordination with other coalition parties, in their words.

They further accuse Tariq of supporting an offensive by UAE-backed factions against eastern Yemeni provinces last January, as well as participating in the issuance of a statement alongside members of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Aidarous Al-Zoubaidi, Abu Zur’a Al-Muharrami and Faraj Al-Bahsani, rejecting a decision to end the UAE’s role in Yemen issued by Saudi-backed PLC Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi at Riyadh’s direction.

Meanwhile, former commander of the Nation’s Shield forces Bashir Al-Subaihi accused Tariq Saleh’s leaders of treachery and betrayal in the western coast battle in an audio recording attributed to him and circulated by Saudi-backed media platforms. Islah Party-affiliated Tawakkol Karman, meanwhile, called for Tariq Saleh to be removed from office and referred to trial on charges of high treason.

Separately, Islah Party activists called on PLC Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi to remove Tariq Saleh from the council and put him on trial on charges of high treason, which they said was no different from what they described as Aidarous Al-Zoubaidi’s betrayal, given that both were products of the UAE. They claimed the UAE sought to retaliate against Saudi Arabia after Riyadh expelled it from the coalition and targeted its forces in Hadramawt at the end of last year.

The dispute over Tariq Saleh’s alleged betrayal and calls for his prosecution on charges of high treason appears likely to intensify in the coming days. Some argue that removing Tariq Saleh without putting him on trial could lead to further betrayals among forces maintaining multiple loyalties in southern and eastern Yemen.

Sanaa forces had reportedly taken control last Thursday of the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, along with six districts in Hodeida and Taiz covering an area of 5,400 square kilometers that had been under the control of PLC member and commander of the so-called National Resistance Forces, Tariq Saleh. The developments have prompted questions from activists over how seven Saudi-backed military divisions comprising 38 brigades, equipped with the latest weapons, could have vanished within hours in the face of Sanaa forces.

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