Former official’s car targeted in armed clashes in Shabwa

ATAQ, Oct. 26 (YPA) – Armed clashes erupted on Monday in central Ataq, the capital of Shabwa province, which is under Saudi control, amid widespread chaos and a security breakdown across the province’s districts.

Local sources said light weapons were used in clashes between gunmen belonging to the Maraziq and Rubaiz tribes over longstanding blood-feud disputes.

The clashes targeted a vehicle belonging to former Shabwa security director Awad Dhaiban.

The sources said Dhaiban’s vehicle was parked outside a shopping mall during the clashes and sustained bullet damage. No casualties were reported, as Dhaiban was not inside the vehicle at the time.

The tribal gunmen left the scene in their vehicles and fled to an unknown destination after the clashes, without any intervention by Saudi-backed security forces.

Ataq’s streets have increasingly become open arenas for settling tribal scores, amid the near-total absence of state authorities since the Saudi-led coalition took control of the governorate in 2016.

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