There are no counter-terrorism forces in Yemeni Abyan

The source said, in a special interview with “Islam Times”, that the tribes are the one that are facing Al-Qaeda with the support of the army, that the counter-terrorism forces did not arrive until now, and that those who are defending Abyan are ordinary security soldiers.

The Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi had issued his directives to engage counter-terrorism forces to fight in Abyan, but those orders were not implemented and were frozen by the chief of Staff of the Central Security forces Yahya Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, who is also a relative of the former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The website of the “Mareb Press”, quoting from a military source in the central security forces, stated that the forces that were sent to fight al-Qaeda organization in the province of Abyan were not counter-terrorism ones, but were soldiers from the general central security soldiers.

The source added that the directives were issued to groups of the Central Security forces to go to the Abyan province to participate in fighting against al-Qaeda, what caused broad dissatisfaction in the ranks of the Central Security Forces, especially the units that have been dragged to fight the battles against al-Qaeda, because of the exclusion of the “counter-terrorism forces” that are dedicated for carrying out and engaging in such confrontations.

Additionally, the military source mentioned that once the groups of the Central Security forces reached the city of Radha in Al-Bida province, they left the vehicles with which they came en masse during a stop in the city, refusing to get off to participate in these confrontations on the pretext that they are not counter-terrorism forces, and asserting that the forces that are specialized to fight al-Qaeda lie in Sana’a to protect specific personalities.