Aden (South24) 

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At least two gunmen and a security man were killed in violent clashes that erupted since late Friday evening, in Crater, Aden, after gunmen affiliated to the former commander of the May 22 military camp, Imam al-Nubi, attacked a police station, and kidnapped an officer.

Armed groups on Thursday surrounded the Crater Police Station in the Sirah District, and kidnapped the director of the investigation department, officer Awad Al-Sayed, demanding the release of one of their wanted members as a condition for his release, according to security sources who spoke to "South24".

A picture of a house that was bombed by a mortar shell, in Crater, Aden, launched by militants (activists)

On Friday evening, multiple security and military units were deployed at the entrances to Crater city, in preparation for the start of a wide security campaign. With the spread of large groups of gunmen in the streets and on the roofs of houses.

The clashes left two militants dead, while at least one security member was killed, according to security sources. Ambulances transported other wounded to Aden hospitals.

Video clips circulated by activists showed armed men firing mortar shells in the city. Local residents said that mortar shells hit several residential homes in Hafat Hussain and Hafat al-Hunud, Crater.

The Security Committee in Aden had issued a statement calling on the citizens of Crater to stay in their homes, announcing the start of a "campaign to purge the city from hotbeds of terrorism", stressing its protection of public and private properties.

The committee warned against "any prejudice to the security of Aden," and stressed that it "will not tolerate" those who do so.

So far, Crater is witnessing a relative calm after the security forces entered most of the city's streets and neighborhoods, while there are conflicting reports about the fate of the leader of the outlawed militants, Imam al-Nubi. A private security source had confirmed to "South24" that the former staff of the 22nd Brigade, affiliated to the Nubi, Khalil Omar, and other gunmen surrendered this afternoon, Saturday.

It should be noted that Imam al-Nubi is facing charges of murdering and torturing activists in Aden, inside his former camp, on charges of atheism. He is also believed to be behind the violent protests in the middle of this month, in which gunmen threw a grenade at security personnel, injuring two soldiers.

Imam al-Nubi has had a military force in Crater since the liberation of Aden in 2015. After accusations of killing activists, it was agreed to expel him from the city. Instead, the man resorted to forming armed men outside the authority of the state, according to security sources. After the STC took control of Aden, the latter preferred not to engage in armed confrontation with it, as the militants are holed up in overcrowded residential areas, and disputes over this have led to violence during the past days. 

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South24 Center for News and Studies

Photo: A street in Crater this morning (Almashhad Alaraby)