The local authorities in Hodeidah governorate have welcomed the defection of a former commander of a battalion in the Sixth Brigade Republican Guard, who used to be affiliated with UAE-backed mercenary commander Tariq Afash in the West Coast front.
During the reception, Governor Mohammed Ayyash Qahim welcomed Brigadier General Haitham Salem Araik, and noted that the general defected to the National Salvation Government after he “found out the real intentions of the Saudi-UAE aggressors.”
The governor stressed the keenness of the Leader of the Revolution Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, and the political leadership in Sana’a, to ensure the safety of all the returnees, and to provide facilities for them.
Moreover, the Director of the Intelligence Directorate of the Fifth Military Region in the West Coast, Brigadier General Riad Baladhi, confirmed that the opportunity of rejoining the Yemeni national ranks still exists for those who wish to return, including for non-commissioned officers, individual soldiers and civilians, as “the homeland is spacious for all of its people.”
He pointed out that the increase in the return of those who used to be deceived from the ranks of the Saudi-UAE invaders and their mercenaries is a positive step for contributing to building Yemen and heading towards a defeat of the aggressors.
For his part, the Commander of the Coastal Defence Brigade and Director of the Naval College, Brigadier General Mohammed al-Qadri, said he appreciated the role of the revolutionary and political leadership in issuing the general amnesty decision and welcoming the returnees, in coordination with the Fifth Military Region intelligence.
He urged those who still fight under the coalition’s side to “seize the opportunity of the general amnesty and return to the Yemeni national side before it is too late.”
Brigadier General Haitham Salem Araik himself in his speech revealed the desire of many officers and individuals from many fronts on the West Coast to return to the homeland and take advantage of the general amnesty decision, and claimed that coordination is underway in order to ensure their return
