Pro-UAE STC launches first armed attack on Saudi forces in Socotra

SOCOTRA, May 17 (YPA) – Forces loyal to Saudi Arabia were subjected to an armed attack on Sunday by elements affiliated with the “dissolved” Southern Transitional Council (STC) loyal to the UAE in the Socotra archipelago of Yemen, located east of the Gulf of Aden.

A well-informed local source confirmed that a number of gunmen in the STC factions, led by a person from Dhalea government named “Haitham Al-Maliji”, opened fire on the forces loyal to Saudi Arabia in the city of Hadibu, the administrative center of the archipelago.

The source reported that the attack resulted in the militants seizing a truck loaded with diesel fuel belonging to the Saudi forces, and they sold the quantity immediately after seizing it, without knowing the reasons and motives for the attack, or the extent of the human and material losses resulting from it.

He pointed out that the local authorities in Hadibu and Socotra seem completely unable to take any deterrent measures or deal with this armed rebellion that threatens stability in Socotra.

On the other hand, following the incident, Saudi authorities summoned the Salafist governor of Socotra, Raafat al-Thaqali, who holds Emirati citizenship, to Riyadh. The reasons for the summons remain unknown, amid reports suggesting he has been placed under house arrest and that a replacement loyal to Riyadh will be appointed, based on a proposal submitted by the Saudi-led “808” forces in Socotra.

Since 2018, Emirati forces have brought hundreds of recruits from the Dhalea, Radfan, and Yafea regions, loyal to the STC, to Socotra. They maintain security and military control even after the UAE withdrew from the archipelago earlier this year following the events in Hadramout, amid local demands for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from the archipelago.

YPA