Islah commander reportedly detained following military setbacks in Lahj

ADEN, Nov. 02 (YPA) – Abu Bakr al-Jabouli, commander of the Islah-affiliated forces in Tur al-Baha, has reportedly been detained at a prison in Lahj governorate following a series of military defeats suffered by his forces, field sources familiar with the developments said on Monday.

According to the sources, al-Jabouli is being held at the Iron Factory prison in al-Rajaa, Tur al-Baha district, west of Lahj, and is expected to be transferred to Aden.

Salafi commander Hamdi Shukri, head of the Saudi-backed Fourth Military Region, detained al-Jabouli on Sunday after his forces suffered a series of defeats against Sana’a forces, which had taken full control of the al-Maqatirah front, the sources said.

The fighting reportedly left dozens of fighters dead and hundreds wounded among other factions, particularly among reinforcements sent to support al-Jabouli’s forces in al-Maqatirah and other parts of Tur al-Baha. The defeats allowed Sana’a forces to advance further in the area.

The sources added that the Saudi military command had dismissed al-Jabouli and appointed Majdi Munadil Thabit Ahmed as his replacement. Saudi commanders had also instructed Shukri to transfer al-Jabouli to Aden for questioning over his forces’ repeated defeats, from al-Shamayatayn and al-Hujariyah to the al-Maqatirah and Tur al-Baha fronts.

Separately, the Fourth Military Region’s military police set up an armed checkpoint in Tur al-Baha last Friday to intercept fighters fleeing the al-Maqatirah and Tur al-Baha fronts and take them to the Iron Factory prison, the sources said.

The prison is reportedly controlled by Shukri, who was appointed by the UAE in 2016 to command the Second Al-Amailiqa Brigade and was also appointed by Saudi Arabia to head the Fourth Military Region.

@E.Y.M