Fierce fighting has broken out between UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC )militias and forces loyal to Hadi’s government in southern Yemen’s Abyan province, local sources reported on late Sunday, media sources reported on Monday.
According to the sources, the fighting took place in east of Zinjibar city, casualties of both sides have been reported.
Forces loyal to the Islah party have reportedly bombed the STC positions using drone aircraft on Monday .
Mohammed al-Naeedb, spokesman for the STC in Abyan, said two drone aircraft dropped projectiles at their forces’ positions in the coastal sector, adding that the airstrikes coincided with artillery and missile attacks along the battle front lines in Abyan.
He confirmed that the STC has responded to the latest attack, which came hours after Hadi’s government announced that its force thwarted an attempted advance by STC militias towards Al-Tarya.
The two sides have been engaged in daily confrontations for nearly three months, but the use of drone aircraft in attacks is the first since Hadi’s factions, backed by Turkey and Qatar, brought the system into the battlefield several months ago.
These developments coincide with continued pressure by the coalition on Hadi and the STC to implement the military part of the Riyadh Agreement they both signed, which includes the provisions for disengagement in the fronts of Abyan before the formation of a new Saudi-backed “government”.
