Shabwa: Unidentified Drone Crashes Around Balhaf Gas Facility
An unidentified drone had crashed near the Balhaf gas facility in Shabwa province, eastern Yemen, local sources said on Wednesday.
The sources suggested that the “Chinese-made” unmanned aircraft may belong to the Emirati or French forces, without giving further details.
On the other hand, unidentified gunmen attacked earlier today, Wednesday, a security center of the UAE-backed militia in Jol Al-Raydah area of Mayfa’a district in Shabwa.
The attack was followed by confrontations between the gunmen in the vicinity of the security center, without mentioning any human or material losses, Yemen News Portal reported.
The attack comes amid rapid developments in Yemen, the latest of which was the decision to relocate the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s militia stationed in Mukalla to protect the facility, not to mention the repeated threats from Sana’a to foreign companies operating in the oil and gas fields.
France sent its forces to Shabwa in early September to secure the looting of Yemeni liquefied gas through the Balhaf gas facility, which the UAE has taken as a military base since 2016.
Shabwa has been witnessing insecurity and chaos after the pro-UAE militia imposed its control over the provincial capital following confrontations with Islah Party’s militants in early August.