Five Separatist Fighters Killed in Clashes with Al-Qaeda Militants in Abyan
At least five Yemeni separatist fighters were killed in clashes with suspected al-Qaeda militants in South Yemen, security officials said. The fighting broke out Wednesday night between Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces and al-Qaeda militants in Abyan province, local security authorities said in a statement. Abyan's security department said that the STC forces reclaimed several areas that had been under the militants' control. It remains unclear how many al-Qaeda operatives died in the clash. Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen, or AQAP, is active in Abyan province and carries out ambushes and attacks against Yemeni forces. AQAP is considered one of the more dangerous branches of the terror network.
The demining "Masam" Project has announced the removal of 866 mines in various provinces during the third week of September. In a statement, the Project reported that the removed mines include ten anti-personnel mines, three explosive devices, 125 anti-tank mines, and 728 unexploded ordnances, bringing the total number of mines removed in September to 2,617. According to the Project's statistics, the number of mines cleared since the beginning of the "Masam" project has reached 416,360. Since the breakout of the war in 2015, thousands of mines have been planted randomly in several areas, causing casualties among innocent children, women, and elderly individuals.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Sanctions Committee has called on the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group to cease child recruitment, the dissemination of hate speech, and the incitement of violence in the war-torn country, which has been in conflict for nine years. The Committee urged "non-state armed groups, such as the Houthis, to halt their continued use of educational and religious institutions and public establishments in Yemen for spreading hate speech, promoting violence, and recruiting children." The statement was issued based on recommendations from the team of experts following their recent investigations into the violations committed by the Houthi group, especially their use of schools, religious institutions, and summer camps to instill racist ideologies, according to Yemen's state-run Saba News Agency.
On Thursday, China announced that Saudi Arabia and China will hold a joint naval drill next month. The two countries will hold the special operations training exercise in the southern Chinese city of Zhanjiang at an unspecified date in October. The exercise will focus on "overseas maritime counter-terrorism operations," including sniping, boat driving, helicopter landing and joint rescues, China's Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. Saudi Arabia and China have deepened their ties and strengthened their cooperation in several fields. Saudi Arabia was China's top oil supplier last year, and business entities in both countries have signed numerous deals this year.
On Wednesday, China's privately controlled Jiangsu Eastern Shenghong Co Ltd said it had entered a preliminary deal with Saudi Aramco for the Middle Eastern oil major to become a minority stakeholder in its refining and petrochemical unit. According to a framework agreement, Saudi Aramco intends to become a strategic investor in Jiangsu Shenghong Petrochemical, which operates a refinery and petrochemical complex in the eastern province of Jiangsu. Aramco said it was looking at investing 10% in Shenghong Petrochemical, adding that companies also intend to cooperate on a large expansion project, although Aramco did not provide details.