Bloody clashes erupted in Abyan due to collection points

ABYAN, July 05 (YPA) – Armed clashes erupted, on Saturday, between the UAE-backed Transitional Council factions (STC) in Abyan Governorate, due to each group’s attempt to seize taxes collected from travelers.

A well-informed local source in the governorate said, “The clashes erupted between members of the 85th Brigade and recruits from the Dofas checkpoint, affiliated with the Security Belt, as each group attempted to collect taxes imposed on drivers in the area.”

He added that members of the 85th Brigade, loyal to the coalition-affiliated governor of Abyan, Abu Bakr Hussein Salem, began shooting at the Dofas checkpoint personnel, leading to an exchange of fire between them that blocked the road and sparked panic and terror among travelers, with no reports of human or material losses.

The source stated that the clashes came in response to the Security Belt forces’ imposition of control over the past few months over one of the governor’s tax collection points in Wadi Hassan, outside the city of Zunjbar.

He pointed out that the clashes that erupted were a result of an attempt by elements of the “85th Brigade” to impose control over the “Dofes” checkpoint, in response to the Security Belt seizing the Wadi Hassan collection point.

He also explained that the commander of the Security Belt in Abyan, “Haidera Al-Sayed,” refused, during all mediations and directives, to return the Wadi Hassan collection point to the local authority.