Saudi commission in Yemen for rebels' withdrawal

By Mohamad Al-Samei

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - A Saudi military commission arrived on Thursday to the Yemeni interim capital Aden to oversee the withdrawal of "separatist forces" from the city, a high-level Yemeni military official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.

The Saudi commission arrived in Aden, southern Yemen, to oversee the withdrawal of the "rebel groups", UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, from the military locations and civil installations they seized during the last few days, said the source, but did not provide further details.

Neither Saudi nor Yemeni officials have issued any statements since then.

President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi has recently met with Saudi officials to discuss developments in Aden. The Saudi government called on Yemeni conflicting parties in Aden to engage in dialogue.

A week after the meeting, the forces affiliated to the STC, supported by the UAE, engaged in fighting against the forces of the internationally recognized government and seized control of military locations along with the presidential palace in Aden.

The Yemeni government considered this capture a "complete coup" against the legitimate government and demanded the rebel forces withdraw before conducting any dialogue.

According to the United Nations, the fighting has left more than 40 civilians dead and over 200 injured. Yet, none of the conflicting parties announced the number of their casualties.

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have led an Arab coalition that carried out military operations in Yemen, in support of the legitimate government against the Houthi militants, supported and backed by Iran, which controlled a number of Yemeni districts including the capital Sanaa since 2014.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this article from Ankara