Yemen: How areas governed by the Muslim Brotherhood have become breeding grounds for assassinations and terrorism
Several Yemeni media outlets have highlighted the assassination incidents that claimed the lives of several military leaders at the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood group following the Houthi militia’s coup in late 2014 and its invasion of provinces.
According to Yemen News website, among these military leaders was Brigadier General Adnan Al-Hamadi, commander of the 35th Armored Brigade in the Yemeni army, who was the first military commander to declare his loyalty to legitimacy, sparking a fierce battle against the Houthis in Taiz province, southern Yemen. He laid the foundation for the Yemeni army before being assassinated by the Brotherhood organization in Yemen on December 2, 2019.
In Marib province, Brigadier General Abdul-Rab al-Shadadi, a former officer in the Republican Guard, emerged. He played a pivotal role with Marib tribes, coordinating with the Arab coalition forces in defeating the Houthi group in decisive battles. Later, he established the first nucleus of the Yemeni army in the oil-rich province before being killed under mysterious circumstances on October 8, 2016.
Also in Marib, Brigadier General Mohammed Al-Jaradi appeared as one of the officers who made unforgettable contributions during the establishment of the Yemeni army, as testified by the Ministry of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was known for his historical achievements against the Houthi coup. However, like others, he fell victim to a treacherous assassination on November 8, 2022, and fingers pointed at the Islah Brotherhood party, despite its attempts to spread false news and blame the terrorist Houthi militias for the assassinations.
Despite the iron grip of the Muslim Brotherhood organization on cities and provinces in Yemen under its control, they have witnessed a large number of assassinations that have never stopped.
These assassinations as evidence that areas governed by the Brotherhood have become “breeding grounds for terrorism.” They allege that the Brotherhood turns a blind eye to assassination crimes to serve international agendas, unfairly accusing countries that have strengthened stability in Yemen overall and prevented it from falling into the hands of terrorism and coup.
The experts confirmed that in 2023, the two provinces of Taiz and Marib, which are under the control of the Brotherhood organization, witnessed more than 15 assassination operations and attempts targeting senior state officials, military and security personnel, and even UN staff.
They added that the remaining areas of Marib and Taiz, which are very modest in size and are governed by the Brotherhood, have become “breeding grounds for terrorism” according to international testimonies.
They stated, “Political assassinations, killing of UN staff, assassinations and harassment of Salafi figures who oppose them, thuggery, and criminal operations are fundamental characteristics of the Brotherhood, reaching the abduction and violation of girls’ dignity, which are concealed by the Brotherhood and portrayed in their areas of influence as safe and secure.”
One of the worst of these assassinations was the targeting of the head of the World Food Program team in Taraba, southern Taiz, Mouaid Hammoudi (of Jordanian nationality), on July 21 last year, in a crime that drew condemnation regionally, internationally, and from the UN.
In Marib, a parked car on the side of the road almost abducted General Sager Bin Aziz, Chief of the General Staff in Yemen, in November last year, yet the security authorities under the control of the Brotherhood did not open serious and effective investigations to reduce the occurrence of assassinations in these two provinces.
These assassinations raise several questions about the Brotherhood‘s alignment with the crimes occurring under its control or the failure of its apparatuses, which are widely linked to extremist groups like Al-Qaeda, making it constrained and incapable of taking any effective measures.
