Senior HTA official exposes STC elements’ escalation in Hadramout

HADRAMOUT, Dec. 19 (YPA) – Hadramout Tribes Alliance (HTA), loyal to Saudi Arabia, confirmed on Friday that the UAE-funded Southern Transitional Council (STC) groups have created armed points to impose levies on tankers and commercial trucks along the districts of the province of Hadramout.

Sabri Salmin bin Makhashen, a media official of the HTA, explained that these groups, with their extremist military and religious tribes, were establishing illegal collection points along the province, in flagrant violation of law and public order.

He published a video documenting the stopping of dozens of tankers and commercial trucks at a collection point in front of the Seiyun Airport, and imposing royalties of hundreds of thousands on each tanker without any official bonds.

Makhashen pointed out that these collection points and royalties generate “hundreds of millions a day” for the leaders of the factions and armed groups paid by the transitional from Dhalea and Lahj.

This comes after the STC factions invaded the districts of the provinces early this month, without any confrontations with the forces of the Islah party-run first military region, imposing their control over the camps of the region under the guidance of leaders in the coalition.

The STC’s armed groups on military armored vehicles stormed on Thursday the Mahra branch’s central bank Administration Building, looting funds from the treasury, packing them in bags, and transporting them to the headquarters of Al-Ghaydah Axis, which imposed its control during December, following the invasion of Hadramout without any significant confrontations.

AA