Fierce clashes erupted on Friday in the Yemeni southern governorate of Socotra between the official army and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), said local sources in the Indian Ocean island.
The fighting is raging in the western part of Hadibo city, Socotra provincial capital, the sources added.
On Thursday, the STC forces erected three new checkpoints in the area, particularly in Haibaq, where fighting erupted following Saudi troops withdrawal.
"There are intense attempts by the [STC's] Security Belt forces to raid into Hadibo after the Saudi withdrawal from checkpoints," deputy information minister of the UN-recognized government said Thursday.
In a tweet, Mukhtar al-Rahabi criticized the Saudi-led coalition's "one thousand troops stationed in Socotra to support legitimacy" for withdrawing from "all the checkpoints when the provincial capital was at risk of STC gangs."
On Wednesday, military leaders from the official government and the STC inked a pact under Arab coalition's sponsorship.
Under the deal, arms and vehicles cannot leave military units before coordination with the coalition, and security points would be removed, excepting those erected by the coalition, with two points kept by the STC and two others by the government forces.
