Shocking images reveal scale of UAE mineral looting in Mocha mountains
TAIZ, Oct. 01 (YPA) – Recent satellite images showed extensive mining operations in Al-Mashalha, Mocha district, western Taiz, reportedly under protection of UAE-backed forces led by Tareq Saleh.
Activists and media outlets have broadly circulated images showing a massive excavator and other heavy machinery operating in the Jabal Al-Nar area.
A comparison of images from 2022 and 2025 reveals significant environmental changes, including extensive excavation sites, indicating ongoing and systematic mineral extraction.
According to analyses accompanying the images, the looting operations are carried out under military protection, with the photos showing a military camp located just 1,066 meters from the excavator site, overseeing the security of the company’s mining activities.
Activists confirmed that the looting is taking place within territory firmly controlled by Tareq Saleh’s factions, indicating their direct involvement and financial benefit from exploiting Yemen’s natural resources in these areas.
This revelation raises serious questions about who benefits from the stolen minerals, how they are traded and marketed, and the fate of the financial proceeds, which are reportedly collected by UAE-backed leaders without being transferred to the Central Bank of Aden.
No official comments have been issued by Tareq Saleh’s office or the operating company regarding the images or the allegations of looting national resources.
@E.Y.M