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On August 29th, United Arab Emirates (UAE) forces carried out air strikes on the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in Aden and the Abyan Province, southern Yemen.
The UAE, the second power in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said it carried out air strikes against “terrorist organizations” that attacked coalition forces at Aden Airport.
“The recent aggravation in offensives against the Arab Coalition forces and civilians pose a menacing threat to the security of the coalition. This in turn has necessitated precise and direct air strikes on the 28th and 29th August, 2019 against terrorist militias.”
Yemen’s Defence Ministry said in a statement that more than 300 people were killed and wounded by UAE air strikes on Aden and Abyan Province.
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government accused the UAE of launching air strikes against its troops in the interim capital Aden in support of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) that says it has regained control of the southern city.
“The Yemeni government condemns the Emirati air strikes against government forces in the interim capital Aden and in Zinjibar, which resulted in civilian and military casualties,” Deputy Foreign Minister of the Saudi-backed government Mohammad al-Hadhram said.
He urged coalition leader Saudi Arabia “to stand by the legitimate government and stop this illegal and unjustified military escalation.”
A rift in in the Saudi-led coalition is becoming more and more apparent, and this marks the first time that UAE forces have actively targeted the forces of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
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The recent round of clashes between forces of the Saudi-backed government and the STC in Aden started on August 7th after the STC announced a “general mobilization” and called on its supporters to overthrow the Aden-based Saudi-backed government.
On August 10th, the UAE-backed STC, the so-called “separatists,” seized the presidential palace and most of the military facilities in Aden from forces loyal to the Saudi-backed ‘Yemeni President’ Mansur Hadi.
On August 29th, AFP cited a spokesperson for the STC who said the UAE-backed Security Belt Forces were in full control of Aden after renewed clashes with government forces.
“The Security Belt force completely controls the city of Aden along with its entrances,” spokesman Haitham Nezar said.
Nezar said the Security Belt forces were now setting their sights on the nearby provinces of Abyan and Shabwa, which had been retaken by government troops earlier this week.
“Our plan is to kick out the invading forces from the south,” said Nezar. The “invading forces” are those of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, who they see as “outsiders” and “terrorists.”
Bin Breik said that STC forces fighting against the Huthis in the north were sent to the south for a major battle.
“We will not remain in the (battle) fronts to liberate the north from the Houthis while the north is invading us,” he said.
Essentially, the UAE and forces it backs are shifting focus from fighting against the Houthis in the south of Yemen, to fighting against the Saudi-backed government, further widening the rift.
Bin Breik further said over Twitter, that the STC had two major goals:
- To defeat the Houthis in the south;
- To defeat Al-Qaeda and ISIS, which they consider are propagated by the Saudi-backed government.
In a video published earlier, surrounded by fighters he said that STC hadn’t fled from the southern front at Al-Hudaydah, but have rather been recalled to fight for Aden.
رجال الجنوب رجال والله رجال
pic.twitter.com/D9ZJ6hrlIh— هاني بن بريك (@HaniBinbrek) August 29, 2019
Despite targeting Saudi-backed forces with airstrikes, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are allegedly talking to “both sides” to mediate the situation, wishing for peace. Which is a fine example of doublespeak and doublethink.
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Much as I’d like to think it was more than 300 KSA proxies killed, most reliable reports I’ve read elsewhere suggest 30 to 50 killed. Either way, the UAE withdrawing support for KSA in northern Yemen whilst simultaneously bombing KSA proxies in the south is as good an indicator as we can get that KSA has now finally lost it’s war against the Houthi … there are credible reports that MBS has asked Trump to negotiate peace with the Houthi, and I am sure the latter will demand significant reparations from MBS (and they will get them).
Mbs? Mega BS?
What a glorious clusterfuck it has become for the Saudis. And you know what, I’m completely fine with their discomfort.
I believe the next step is critical and I have used all my knowledge and power to feel confident enough to say that the Saudis should declare war and invade the UAE…… lovely, but and a bid but, the only winner then would be the Kikers.
https://astutenews.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/greater-israel.jpg?w=840
Let pigs kill each others…
Oh, but yes.
Obviously, you are not familiar with Sunni tribalism. The Emirati pimps and Saudi whores are competing to divide and control the poor Arab Sunni states on the periphery of the Arabian peninsula, Yemen, Sudan and soon Oman and Jordan are their prime targets. The Saudi already own Egypt and Libya is up for grabs. These UAE attacks are coming from Socotra island that they occupied and the devious Brits and French pimps increased the runway to 1500 meters to accommodate the F-16 and Mirage 2000. UAE has already claimed parts of Oman as the old senile Sultan Qaboos is barren and has no heirs. The UAE intends to annex Oman which has a largely Pakistani and Baluch population.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a natural extension of the United Arab Emirates.
Both are fake imperialist creations. The devious Brits created both. UAE is total sham created in 1971 to use as a colonial outpost and rip off Arab oil.
Bin Salman pops a couple of pills and washes it down with american whiskey.
Yesterdays ally, today’s enemy. The Kurds should take note…this is what the US will do to them sooner or later.
Trump already did it to them. Twittered they were on their own when Iraq took back Kirkuk and the oil there. https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/30082019
Nah, he just did what was practical at the time. Who in their right mind would expect him to take sides? (The actual tweet was that he would remain neutral, was it not?) BTW, Iraq barely took back Kirkuk, the Kurd leadership basically gave it up and told everyone to pull out (https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/161020182). Even the Kurd people are wondering who is giving the orders. What country was publicly backing their Kurdish nation declaration(which precipitated the whole thing)? When Trump truly dumps them, it will be a disaster for the Kurds. Besides, he has been supplying them with massive amounts of weapons ever since. When the US and Turkey show their true face, the Kurds better do what they should have done 5 years ago…ally with the country that saved their bacon the first time the US helped to slaughter them…instead of helping to attack them and steal them blind. This day is coming and it won’t look like Kirkuk.
They did not simply give up Kirkuk, after Iran threatened them, the Peshmerga allied to Talabani buckled and stopped fighting. Then the Peshmerga allied to Barazani kept fighting, and suffered casualties until defeat became apparent, so they gave up the fighting as well. Afterwards, Barazani resigned, and said “the only thing that stood by us were our mountains”.
Point being, they didn’t simply give it up, if they had continued fighting their situation wold have been far far more catastrophic.
I hope the day of reckoning comes and soon. Traitors must pay the price of their treachery.
Are the UAE and Oman “friends”? Othervise its a very long way around Oman, unless the UAE just “borrowed” Oman or Saudi airspace. We all know that Saudi airspace is pretty much unguarded/undefended.
UAE has a huge military base in the so-called Somaliland, so there’s no need to cross Omani or Saudi airspace.
Arh ok, thank you for your answer.
The UAE has built a large airbase on Socotra island. Oman is their next target after the senile fool Qaboos dies.
May be Saudi and UAE will end up foghting each other. Let’s hope so.
Dear map makers, it would be helpful to see the STC-controlled territory in blue on the Yemen maps.
Yes, this is a major shift in the different alliances.
I can’t help feeling that UAE and saudi relations have soured to a significant degree. But what changed?
Notice how evil always turns on itself. The morally bankrupt side is the one that disintegrates into infighting. Remember how the Syrian “rebels” immediately fragmented into a bunch of warring groups while the govt and its allies just soldiered on even when times were desperate? Well the bad guys are reverting to form in Yemen now, too, despite massive backing from the US and despite their rediculous advantages in money, tech, etc. It really speaks to just how morally weak the other side is, in the sense that they only accomplish what they do through massive expenditures of money, and even then it’s often not enough. Our side tends to just stick it out and prevail. The Syrian loyalists. Hezbollah. The Iranians. The Houthis. The Russians. They just tough it out, even when they aren’t getting paid and because defeat is means DEFEAT; it’s just not an option .
Well said.
UAE perhaps reached some kind of agreement with Iran, remember Iran and UAE had meetings a few weeks ago ? when oil tanker issues started ?