Yemen: Southern Transitional Council Controls Military Police Headquarters in Abyan

The forces of the UAE-backed STC have taken over the headquarters of the Yemeni government’s military police in the city of Al-Koud, near the city of Zanzibar.

In a statement to Anadolu, a local source, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said: “the security forces led by Deputy Chairman of the STC Hani Ben Breik, took control of the police headquarters after fierce fighting since dawn” on Tuesday.

Since last night, the forces imposed a siege on the headquarters of the military police in Al-Koud and the building of the Special Security Forces in the city of Zinjar. They have demanded that pro-government forces withdraw, before the intervention of a committee to calm down the situation.

However, the fighting began again at the headquarters of the military police, as its forces tried to repel the attack of the security forces and resorting to tribesmen. According to the same source, dawn battles resulted in the death of one of the soldiers of the military police and the injury of others, while a senior commander of the STC forces was wounded.

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This comes against the backdrop of the provincial police and special security forces’ support of the legitimate government, its rejection of the coup of the STC forces in Aden, and the control of its troops over state institutions on August 10.  The spokesman for the Arab coalition in Yemen, Turki Al-Maliki, revealed on Monday, the “actual withdrawal” of the Transitional Council forces from government headquarters in Aden. Al-Maliki told a press conference that “the escalation in the interim capital Aden by the Transitional Council was so regrettable that the events have moved to a dangerous level,” according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

He added: “the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition has worked with all political and social components and the legitimate Yemeni government to calm down the situation, engage all parties in dialogue, and call them to resort to reason and logic.”

Last week, the STC forces took control of most of the state’s headquarters in Aden after four days of fierce battles against government forces during which more than 40 people were killed, including civilians, and 260 wounded, as documented by local and international human rights organisations.