Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
A unit of the UAE-backed Hadrami Elite Forces said Wednesday evening that it came under an armed ambush while carrying out a field mission on the Ghayl Bin Yamin–Al-Ukda road along Yemen’s Hadramout coast, as part of its security operations program.
A security source in the Second Military Region stated that the force was on a routine deployment mission when it was intercepted by a tribal group affiliated with Sheikh Salem Al-Gharabi—a prominent tribal leader in Hadramout—who opened fire on the military convoy. The clash resulted in three attackers being wounded and several others arrested, while the remaining assailants fled the scene.
Sheikh Salem Mubarak Al-Gharabi is considered one of the notable social figures in Hadramout and a member of the Hadramout Tribal Alliance, which has been demanding broader powers for the governorate and self-administration within a federal system.
The Hadrami Elite Forces consist of soldiers and armed personnel recruited from Hadramout province. They are trained and supervised by the United Arab Emirates and have been accused—along with Emirati forces—of kidnapping and torturing Yemeni citizens in secret detention facilities. International human rights organizations have called for investigations into these allegations and for greater transparency regarding the fate of dozens of detainees reportedly held by these forces.
