A leaked recording has revealed Abu Dhabi’s intention to establish a new military brigade on the Yemeni island of Socotra, away from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) that is already there.
According to Al-Mahriya channel, the recording was of a voice call between the former head of the STC in Socotra, Yahya Mubarak, and the current head of the Council on the island, Raafat al-Thaqali.
Addressing Al-Thaqali, Mubarak said in the phone call that there are Emirati directives to form an integrated brigade of 5,000 to 6,000 people from Socotra, whom are not subjected to Council authority, but would be directly linked to the Emirati regime.
In another recording, Mubarak clarified that he had agreed with the Emiratis to recruit between 1,500 to 2,000 people, indicating that he had agreed with Southern Transitional Council president Aidarous Al-Zubaidi that military ranks would be granted to individuals affiliated with the Council.
The UAE has recently accelerated steps aimed at extending its full control over Socotra Island, amid absolute silence by the Saudi-backed Hadi puppet government.
