BAYDA (Debriefer)--A pro-government military commander on Thursday blamed the Southern Transitional Council for the setback of the pro-government popular resistance fighters during recent battles against the Houthi group in Yemen's Bayda province.
The Iran-allied group has recaptured all regions that it lost in the past ten days, including Az Zahir district.
Col. Hussein Al-Salahi, the logistics officer in the third Al-Amaliqah Brigade, said in a leaked videotape that leaders in the council prevented the delivery of munitions for the popular resistance through the region of Yafa. Mukhtar Al-Noubi, a prominent leader in the council, detained one of the logistics officers for three days leaving the pro-government fighters without supplies, he said.
STC leaders then suggested delivering supplies to the pro-government fighters through the security belt forces in Yafa but that never happened, he said.
Moreover, STC forces prevented reinforcements, including soldiers from the southern provinces of Lahij, Dhale and Abyan, from heading to support the government fighters in Bayda under the pretext they were loyal to the commander of the Republican Guards stationed in west Yemen, Tariq Saleh, he said.
Saleh Al-Sayyed, the commander of the council's Supply and Logistics Brigades, called me and said he had ordered his forces not to allow a single soldier to head to Bayda front-lines, he elaborated.
These acts forced the pro-government fighters to retreat from positions they seized including those on the outskirts of the capital city of Bayda, he added.
The UAE-backed council has not responded to the accusations.
Meanwhile, observers argued that what the council is doing exposes the links and coordination between it and the Houthis to weaken the legitimate government.