Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Houthi gunmen kidnapped four citizens after raiding their homes and terrifying women and children in the Al-Hadina area of Taiz governorate (southwestern Yemen) over the past two days, following an announcement a day earlier by a notable figure from the area that he had defected from the Houthi group.
Local sources and a human rights network stated that over the past two days, the Houthis kidnapped four citizens from the Al-Hadiya area in the Maqbanah district, west of Taiz governorate. They were identified as: Basem Ghaleb Saleh Mohammed Hussein (33 years old), Mohammed Abdul-Elah Hassan Thabit (38 years old), Ali Abdulhafeedh Ahmed Jayash (44 years old), and Madeen Ahmed Awadh (19 years old).
The sources explained that Houthi gunmen, led by the so-called commander of the “Sixth Karar Brigade” named Abu Hamed Al-Shathli, raided the area again this morning for the second time in two days. They kidnapped the young man, Madeen Ahmed Awadh, after forcing women and children out of the house at gunpoint.
Yesterday, Sunday, Houthi gunmen, also led by Al-Shathli, had previously stormed the area with several military vehicles belonging to the so-called Houthi “Preventive Security” and kidnapped three citizens from the area.
The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms stated that it documented Houthi elements assaulting women and children with beatings and threats, and terrifying residents by firing guns inside the village before proceeding to kidnap a number of men and youths and transporting them to an unknown location until this moment.
It is worth noting that Sheikh Abdo Ahmed Awadh had announced his defection from the Houthi group last Saturday in a video recording broadcast by the media center of the Giants Forces loyal to the Yemeni government. This came days after a brigadier general in the Houthi military forces announced his defection and joining the legitimate government areas.
