Taiz (South24 Center)

Security authorities loyal to the Yemeni government in Taiz governorate, northern Yemen, announced on Monday (June 16) the arrest of several “terrorist” elements with direct links to the Houthi group, during a security operation carried out by joint forces in Al-Shamayteen district.

The Taiz Security Committee said in a statement, after a meeting chaired by the governor and committee head Nabil Shamsan, that the detained elements are involved in killings, sabotage, targeting public and private facilities, and resisting security authorities in Taiz, Aden, and Lahj governorates.

It added that preliminary investigations indicate a direct connection between some of these elements and the killing of World Food Program employee Muayad Hamidi, who was shot dead by gunmen in Al-Turbah city in July 2023.

The meeting was attended by Taiz Axis Commander Major General Khaled Fadil, Al-Tur Al-Baha Axis Commander Major General Abu Bakr Al-Jaboli, Taiz Axis Chief of Staff Major General Abdulaziz Al-Majidi, along with several brigade and security unit leaders.

The statement noted that the security campaign also resulted in the seizure of explosives, light and medium weapons, and a number of rigged vehicles prepared to carry out operations against security, military, and civilian leaders in Taiz and other governorates under the control of the internationally recognized government.

The committee added that these elements belong to "terrorist gangs working with the Houthi group supported by the Iranian regime" and were involved in violent acts aimed at undermining security and stability in the city.

Additionally, the statement said that the relevant authorities would continue legal procedures to refer the detainees to the judiciary, and that operations to nab those still at large are ongoing to bring them to justice.

The security announcement came after a video circulated on June 6 showing Brigadier Amjad Khaled, accused by southern forces of widespread “terrorism” and violence in Aden, residing in Al-Turbah city in Taiz governorate, threatening to lead the Yemeni Islah Party by releasing video recordings he claimed documented "agreements" and "pledges" made between him and leaders in the party.

Khaled alleged that a military force loyal to the Islah Party, led by Al-Tur Al-Baha Axis Commander Major General Abu Bakr Al-Jaboli, raided his home, looting vehicles and equipment, describing this as a "flagrant violation" of existing agreements between the two parties.

Al-Turbah is the center of Al-Shamayteen district. A high-ranking security source told ‘South24 Center’ that it has been a hub for planning and managing terrorist operations in Aden over the past years, including car bombings and assassinations of Southern military figures.

Despite judicial rulings convicting and sentencing Amjad Khaled, commander of the Transport Brigade in the Yemeni government, to death for his involvement in these crimes, neither the Yemeni government, the Interior Ministry, nor the Taiz Axis leadership have taken any measures to arrest and hand him over to security agencies in Aden.

Khaled fled Aden in 2019 after military confrontations with forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, and settled in Al-Turbah city, an area controlled by forces loyal to the Yemeni government but aligned with the Yemeni Islah Party.

Related Security Operation in Aden

In a related context, Dar Saad district police in Aden announced on Tuesday the arrest of a security cell affiliated with the Houthi group, which it said was tasked with gathering information on the movements of Southern military and security leaders.

The police said in a statement that the operation was carried out after receiving "accurate intelligence information" and that cell members confessed during initial interrogations to receiving training in camps run by the Iran-backed Houthi group and submitting detailed reports on the locations and activities of Southern forces units to the group's leadership.

The statement added that investigations are ongoing with the cell members before referring them to the competent judicial authorities.

These developments occur amid fragile security conditions in Yemen's contested areas and the ongoing political divisions between various factions.