Al Mukalla: Al Qaida and other radical groups have no foothold in the strategic port city of Aden as security forces are being quickly rebuilt to restore stability and security in the city, Aden’s chief security told Gulf News on Thursday.
Aden has been recently hit by a string of attacks that targeted the governor of the province, an international relief organisation and a government building. Exploiting the insecurity following the withdrawal of Al Houthis from the province, Al Qaida militants spouted up on Saturday in an important district in the city, telling the people that they controlled Al Tawahi that hosts the presidential palace and a military base.
Despite acknowledging that the militants blew up the Political Security (intelligence) building in Al Tawahi, Brigadier General Mohammad Mousaed said: “Al Qaida has no presence in Aden and will not be able to have a toehold in the city as they do not have supporters. The security situation in Aden is quiet and stable. We are working in full swing to restore prisons, traffic and criminal investigation,”
Like many other provinces that were embroiled into a civil war between Al Houthis and their opponents, local police officers are working hard to bring security to pre-war days by deploying policemen and army troops around key institutions in the city.“ We have outlined a plan with UAE and Saudi experts to bring security back to normal,” he said.
On August 20, the newly appointed governor of Aden, Nayef Al Bakri survived a deadly RPG attack that killed four of his bodyguards. Also the International Committee of the Red Cross announced on August 25 temporarily suspension of its operations in Aden after gunmen stormed the group’s offices. Mousaed denied that the attackers were members of Al Qaida.
“We have quickly identified the attackers who cooperated with one of the office’s guards. We have launched a manhunt for the them,” he said. Thousands of security forces and policemen have either deserted their positions or joined anti-Al Houthis resistance when the rebels advanced into the restive southern parts of Yemen, seeking to overthrow president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi who announced Aden as the country’s temporary capital.
Since the beginning of the Saudi-led bombing operation the Al Houthis in March, the UAE security experts have been on the ground in Aden helping resistance fighters and the army build a security zone and directing warplanes. The UAE armoured personnel carriers along with Saudi-trained fighters have played a decisive role in rolling back the Al Houthis advance and forcing them out of the city in July.
Now, Mousaed said, the UAE security experts are helping local security officers rebuild security system in the city. Mousaed hailed the UAE soldiers as “first class officers”.
“The UAE security officers are skilled and experienced. They provided us with brand new cars for police. We have already sent 301 policemen to the UAE for training.”
Mousaed said that their plan includes merging 5,000 local fighters into security services in Aden.
