UAE plans moving battle to Safer oil fields
SHABWA, Aug. 22 (YPA) – Fierce new clashes erupted on Monday between Saudi-backed Islah militants and the UAE-funded militia in Arma area, northeast of Ataq city, the Shabwa provincial capital.
Local sources fiamiler with the matter said that the clashes erupted between the militants of Islah’s “21st Meca Brigade”, and members of the “Shabwa Defense” and “Al-Amaliqa” militias at Arma Junction, after the UAE militia arrived at Al-Khasha’a Junction leading to Seiyun city, capital of Wadi Hadramout districts in the east.
Other sources indicated that unidentified gunmen, likely to be affiliated with the Islah Party, kidnapped two military vehicles belonging to the “4th al-Amaliqa Brigade”, on Ataq-Al-Abr road, and took them to Al-Masinaa area.
In a related context, the UAE militia did not make any progress towards the areas of Wadi Hadramout, or Al-Abr road towards Al-Wadi’ah crossing the overnight, indicating that Saudi Arabia prevented the al-Amaliqa forces from moving north towards Al-Abr Al-Wadi’ah road.
Military observers expected that the UAE might move its militias to the west towards the Safer oil fields controlled by Islah militants, and cut off the road linking Marib and Al-Abar, to cordon the rest of the Islah militants in Wadi district and the city of Marib.
The UAE is keen to transfer liquefied gas from Safer to the Balhaf gas facility located on the coast of the Arabian Sea in the Radhum area of Shabwa, after the French forces arrived at the facility last weekend,” other observers confirmed that.
They warned of the possibility of the UAE militia heading towards the Safer oil and gas facility, noting likely that the Islah party would resort to destructive options through entrenching and fighting the battle from the Safer fields, which Islah militants did not dare to do into Al-Uqla oil fields in Shabwa.
The coalition countries have created a pipeline from the Safer facility to Shabwa, with a length of 82 km, to guarantee the looting of oil, instead of the Safer-Ras Issa pipeline in Hodeida on the Red Sea.
This came after the UAE militia took control on Sunday of Al-Uqla oil field of the Austrian oil company “OMV”, and Ayatha facility “Sector 4”, which transports crude oil to the Al-Nashima port on the Arabian Sea.
AA