Yemen's STC presses ahead with military expansion in southern regions

ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) continued Tuesday to expand its military presence in the war-ravaged Arab country, defying repeated calls by the internationally-recognized government to withdraw its forces from the strategic provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahrah, a military official told Xinhua.

The local military official, who requested anonymity, said that the STC has shown no indication of reversing its moves, despite local and regional mediation efforts. "The council is disregarding calls for restraint, and its military grip continues to expand with no signs of withdrawal."

Meanwhile, STC's military spokesman Mohamed al-Naqeeb said that new military units had been deployed to the Hadramout Valley and adjacent desert areas as part of security operations aimed at preventing infiltration by Al-Qaeda militants.

On Monday, the STC announced the launch of a military operation in the southern province of Abyan following its recent takeover of Hadramout and Al-Mahrah. The operation was described as targeting militant supply routes and aiming to curb the movement of Al-Qaeda fighters through mountainous and valley regions.

The STC has now consolidated military control over eight southern provinces, including Aden and the strategic island of Socotra.

Although the STC is formally part of the UN-recognized Yemeni government, it continues to advocate for the secession of southern Yemen. Founded in 2017, the council seeks to restore an independent southern state, reversing Yemen's 1990 unification between the former North and South Yemen.

Last week, Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashad Al-Alimi said that unilateral actions by the STC threaten the unity of security and military decision-making and undermine the authority of the internationally-recognized government, calling on the international community to adopt a unified and clear stance rejecting unilateral measures and any challenge to the government's powers.

Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since 2014, when Houthi militants seized control of the capital, Sanaa, and expelled forces loyal to the internationally-recognized government, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of that government. ■