A senior commander in the so-called “Al-Amaliqa Brigades” loyal to the Saudi-led coalition said on Friday that the security situation has deteriorated significantly in Lahj province, large parts of which overlook Bab al-Mandab area.
Hamdi Shukri, commander of the First Al-Amaliqa Brigades, said in statements reported by local media about the security situation in the Tur Al-Baha district that the bomb attack that had targeted the headquarters of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in the district and the kidnapping of one of the leaders of the security campaign in Lahj represent a serious breach of security in Lahj.
Activists from Lahj revealed that the province is witnessing a fierce race between Saudi Arabia and the UAE to win the loyalty of the tribes. They noted Riyadh’s desire to remove any pro-UAE presence in the coastal areas of Lahj, which borders the Bab al-Mandab Strait