UAE accused of bombing government forces in eastern Yemen

Drones believed to belong to the UAE targeted Yemen army posts in the Shabwa governorate in the east of the country on Monday, local sources and activists have reported.

One anonymous source told Arabi 21 that the UAE’s bombing of government forces paved the way for militias loyal to Abu Dhabi to expand their area of control towards the international highway linking the Shabwa and Hadhramout governorates from the south, and Marib from the north.

An unknown number of people were killed or wounded in the attack, including civilians. According to local activists, one of the UAE air strikes hit a bus. The driver was among the civilians killed.

The ongoing targeting of the army and security forces of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government has sparked outrage on social media.

Accusations of treason have been levelled at the Chairman of the Presidential Council of Leadership due to his silence about the attacks. Rashad Al-Alimi has arrived in the UAE on an unofficial working visit, according to the state news agency, following which he will go to Saudi Arabia.

Last week, the city of Ataq, the administrative centre of Shabwa governorate, was the scene of battles between government forces and a militia backed by the UAE. The fighting ended with the militia taking control of the city after UAE aircraft carried out dozens of strikes against government forces.

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