Al-Mahra (South24 Center)

A security source told South24 that security forces in Al-Mahra governorate arrested on Tuesday (October 28) Nazih Al-Azibi, a top aide of wanted militant leader Amjad Khaled, while he was attempting to cross over to Yemen through the Sarfait border crossing with Oman.

According to the source, Al-Azibi had arrived from Omani territory carrying three million Saudi riyals.

Nazih Al-Azibi is an officer in the Transport Brigade and one of the key members of the armed cell led by Amjad Khaled, who was sentenced to death in absentia by a military court in Aden. Yemeni authorities accuse Khaled of involvement in assassinations and bombings targeting southern security and military leaders.

 Read more: Death sentence for Yemeni officer convicted of terrorist attacks in Aden

However, another security source told South24 that the arrest was carried out by the Omani authorities on the opposite side of the Sarfait crossing, which lies only a few meters away from Yemeni territory.

South24 is trying to verify the accuracy of the information regarding which side conducted the arrest, and the authorities that are officially handling the investigation.

Al-Mahra governorate, located along the border with Oman, is considered a strategic area that includes both land and maritime entry points reportedly used by smuggling networks to move weapons and narcotics into Houthi-controlled regions.

In July, security forces had announced the arrest of Houthi leader Mohammed Al-Zaidi at the same crossing while he was attempting to leave Yemen illegally for Oman using a diplomatic passport issued by the unrecognized authorities in Sanaa.

In a related development, on Wednesday (October 29), tribes from Hadramout and Al-Mahra (the valley and desert regions) issued a joint statement announcing the signing of a “Pledge and Covenant” criminalizing the smuggling of weapons and drugs across their territories and coasts, and vowing not to cooperate with the Houthi group in any form.

The statement also condemned terrorism “in all its forms” and prohibited affiliation with or support for any terrorist organization—an initiative viewed as strengthening tribal solidarity against smuggling activities and armed groups threatening the security and stability of southern governorates.

In recent days, social media accounts suspected of links to the Houthis and Al-Qaeda have been circulating reports about the formation of a new organization called the ‘Southern National Resistance’, allegedly led by Amjad Khaled, with the aim of launching attacks against southern forces.

Since 2019, Amjad Khaled and his followers have been based in the city of Al-Turbah, in Taiz governorate, near forces affiliated with the Islah Islamic Party. In June, the Taiz Security Committee announced a manhunt for the cell and raids on its hideouts.

Khaled’s exact whereabouts remain unknown, though some reports suggest he may have moved to Houthi-controlled areas in Taiz or Sanaa.

Read more: Yemeni Government Pursues Amjad Khaled After Years of Southern Appeals

Read more: Taiz Security Forces announce arrest of Houthi-linked cell, its involvement in killing of UN Employee