he head of the peaceful sit-in protest committee in Mahrah, Sheikh Ali Salem al-Harizi has called on British soldiers and other foreign forces to leave the Yemeni province of Mahrah immediately.
In a statement, al-Harizi affirmed that “the sons and sheikhs of Mahrah expressed their complete and categorical rejection of any foreign military presence in the province.”
“The sit-in committee of Mahrah followed up with great interest the news reports and media outlets speaking about the arrival of a British force consisting of 41 members of the British Special Forces at Al-Ghaydah International Airport in the province, in addition to Saudi, Emirati and American occupation forces. On these foreign developments, the leadership, members and supporters of the committee categorically reject any foreign military presence on the province’s land,” the statement reads.
The committee condemned all the “miserable and shameful attempts by the Saudi, Emirati, British, and American occupation to place false accusations and lies on the sons of Mahrah, with systematic, multi-method actions aimed at controlling the governorate.”
On the other hand, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has sent military forces to the Yemeni provinces of Mahrah and Hadhramaut in eastern Yemen.
A ship belonging to the UAE has reportedly transported military forces led by Major General Adel Ali Hadi al-Musabi, the commander of the so-called Special Forces and Counter-Terrorism Brigade, from the city of Aden towards the city of Mukalla in Hadhramaut, Yemen News Portal reported, citing sources.
The sources indicated that the armed factions sent by the UAE will be deployed in the city of Al-Ghaydah, in order to protect British troops stationed at the city’s airport, especially as popular rejection of their presence grows.
Meanwhile, Islah Party activists on social media accused the UAE of sending its armed militias to Hadhramaut with the goal of detonating the situation and strengthening its control over the oil fields in the province.
