Taiz: Drone strike kills young man in Al-Wazi’iyah district amid ongoing tensions

TAIZ, April 07 (YPA) – A young man was killed on Monday in a drone strike carried out by forces loyal to Presidential Leadership Council member Tariq Saleh in Al-Wazi’iyah district, west of Taiz province, according to local sources.

Human rights sources said the victim, identified as Burhan Ali Taha, was killed while sleeping on the roof of his home when a drone targeted the area.

The strike reportedly took place away from the Hennah Al-Sufla area, which has been witnessing armed tensions involving forces aligned with Saleh.

Sources added that Taha was the son of a fighter who had previously been killed while fighting alongside UAE-backed factions against Sanaa forces on the western coast in 2016. His death, they noted, came at the hands of the same side his father had once supported.

The strike followed a series of raids by Saleh-aligned forces on villages including Al-Hadhara, Al-Ghail, and Hennah Al-Sufla in Al-Wazi’iyah, during which several residents were reportedly detained and taken to prisons in Mocha.

The escalation comes after unidentified gunmen launched a surprise attack early Sunday on a newly established military position belonging to Saleh’s forces in Al-Hadhara, killing one soldier and injuring three others.

Residents say villages in the Hennah Al-Sufla area and surrounding areas are facing a worsening humanitarian situation due to an ongoing blockade imposed by Saleh’s forces since last Thursday.

Last week, one civilian was killed and four others, including women, were wounded by gunfire from Saleh-aligned forces in the Hennah area. The violence has raised fears of further humanitarian deterioration, with more than 25 families reportedly displaced as a result of the siege.

@E.Y.M