Saudi-backed forces storm STC headquarters in Mukalla

MUKALLA, Aug. 24 (YPA) – Saudi-backed forces stormed the headquarters of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Mukalla, Hadramout province, on Monday, coinciding with another raid on the Al-Sahil neighborhood in central Seiyun, the administrative center of Wadi Hadramout.

Sources familiar with the matter reported that Saudi-backed forces arrived in military vehicles and stormed the STC headquarters in the Khalaf area of Mukalla, through the building’s gate and removing the council’s emblem.

They also seized a large quantity of STC banners and portraits of STC President Aidarous al-Zubaidi, which had been prepared for a rally scheduled for early September.

STC leaders in Hadramout condemned the raid as a dangerous escalation aimed directly at preventing the planned September 1 gathering.

In an official statement, the STC held local authorities fully responsible for the provocative incident, warning that it has fueled widespread anger among its supporters.

Meanwhile, armed members of the Saudi-backed “Dera Al-Watan” forces, aboard armored vehicle, raided the Al-Sahil neighborhood in Seiyun on Monday evening in search of wanted STC supporters.

The operation came after unidentified perpetrators hung an effigy dressed in a military uniform at the entrance of the neighborhood, which activists termed a symbolic warning to Saudi-backed troops.

The combined raids sparked outrage among STC loyalists, who have vowed to respond to the field escalation.

@E.Y.M