Rashad Al-Alimi, the head of the “Presidential Leadership Council” loyal to the Saudi-led coalition, on Wednesday, directed the removal of the most important military force affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) from the city of Aden, in conjunction with the process of dismantling the STC factions in its last stronghold in southern Yemen.
According to sources in the fourth military region, al-Alimi told its pro-STC commander, Fadl Hassan, to leave the city.
Earlier in the day, Al-Alimi held a meeting with the commander of the fourth military region, the Minister of Defense in the government loyal to the coalition and the Inspector General.
According to the sources, the discussions were devoted to arranging the reintegration of the forces of this area, which separated from the Hadi government in August 2019, to the Ministry of Defense and their redistribution in camps outside Aden.
The meeting came hours after a similar meeting between al-Alimi and the head of the military committee tasked with structuring the factions in Aden.
Al-Alimi praised the success of the committee, led by southern leader Haitham Qassem Taher, and his role in placing the southern factions under a unified command.
According to observers, Al-Alimi seeks to weaken the STC’s influence in Aden as part of a Saudi-backed strategy to dismantle UAE-affiliated factions.
The removal of forces the Fourth Military Region will lift the lid on the rest of the military factions deployed in the city, which exceed 39 factions, as it is expected to keep only two brigades, one for Al-Alimi and the other for the STC.
