UAE military exercises spark controversy in Socotra

SOCOTRA, March 17 (YPA) – The new UAE military exercises have sparked controversy among the people of the Yemeni Socotra Archipelago, east of the Gulf of Aden.

Sources familiar with the matter reported that Emirati officers are training new recruits inside one of the farms to camouflage themselves from the people, in contrast to their training of local elements from the recruits of the island who are brought from Dhalea and Lahj provinces, south of Yemen.

The sources confirmed that the Emirati training are taken place in secret on the farm without revealing the identity of the new recruits who do not belong to the island, considering moves inside one of the farms threats of security and peace on the island without the knowledge of the coalition-backed Aden government, which claims its legitimacy over those areas.

This came after political leaks confirming that India may plan to implement a project to build a military base on Socotra Island at the behest of the UAE and Israel after the entity established a military base on the island in 2020.

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