Seiyun (South24) 

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Two Saudi soldiers were killed and a third was injured yesterday evening (November 8) when a Yemeni soldier opened fire at them at the headquarters of the First Military District in the city of Seiyun in Wadi Hadramout, South Yemen, an exclusive source told South24 Center.

The source said the soldier, Mohammed Saleh Al-Arousi, who hails from Hajjah Governorate in North Yemen, opened fire with his Kalashnikov rifle on the Saudi soldiers in the military camp.

The source indicated that the Yemeni soldier serves in the 135th Infantry Brigade, the largest brigade in the First Military District in Wadi Hadramout, which is led by the Northern officer Yahya Abu Awja, who hails from Amran Governorate in North Yemen.

The governorates of Hajjah and Amran have been under the control of the Houthi militia since 2015. Most of the individuals and officers in the First Military District belong to these two governorates apart from Sanaa and other governorates.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) expressed its condemnation of the attack, while the Houthis described it as a "heroic operation."

In a telegram verified by South24 Center, the commander of the First Military District, Major General Saleh Taymis, directed the search for the Yemeni soldier after he mysteriously fled. The telegram described him as "wanted for murder".

The telegram confirmed that the soldier belongs to the 135th Infantry Brigade. A local source told the South24 Center that the city of Seiyun has been witnessing an intensive security deployment since yesterday to arrest the wanted soldier.

Local and press sources circulated news about the siege of the headquarters of the First Military District by Saudi forces during the evening, but South24 Center has not been able to verify its accuracy so far.

Hadrami journalist Ahmed Bajammal quoted sources via X as saying that the soldier Al-Arousi was smuggled out by the leadership of the First Military District. South24 Center has been unable to independently verify these allegations.

South24 Center made a phone call this morning to the operations command of the First Military District to inquire about the details, but the respondent stated that he "has no authority to speak or make a statement".

In a post on the Wadi Hadramout Police Media Center's Facebook page, a reward of 30 million Yemeni riyals was announced for anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of Al-Arousi.

Meanwhile,  STC President Aidrous Al-Zubaidi has offered his condolences to Saudi Arabia over the "martyrdom" of two of its soldiers in the First Military District in Wadi Hadramout.

The STC in Wadi Hadramout also offered its condolences -- to the Saudi Arabian King, the Crown Prince and the people, for the killing of the two Saudi soldiers. The statement described the incident as a "sinful and treacherous attack".

"We affirm that the security and stability of Wadi and Desert Hadramout will not be achieved unless the security and military file is handed over to the people of Hadramout themselves, as they are the most worthy of protecting their land," the statement added.

This is the second incident of its kind targeting Saudi forces within the scope of the First Military District in Wadi Hadramout.

On September 20, 2019, the commander of the coalition forces in Wadi Hadramout, Saudi Colonel Bandar Al-Otaibi, two Saudi soldiers and two Yemenis were killed when a powerful explosive device ripped through their military vehicle in the town of Shibam in Wadi Hadramout.

On the same day, in a separate incident, three Saudi soldiers and two Yemeni soldiers were killed when an explosive device went off in a mass transit bus on the road between the Al-Abr area in Hadramout and the Al-Wadiah border crossing between South Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

The residents of Wadi Hadramout are demanding that the Hadrami Elite Forces, which are close to the STC, replace the First Military District and that the Northern forces be removed from their land.

In recent years, the city of Seiyun has witnessed many mass public protests demanding the expulsion of the First Military District forces from Wadi Hadramout and their replacement with the pro-STC Hadrami Elite Forces.

There are two military regions in Hadramout, the first is spread across the valley and desert near the oil sources. The second region is spread across the governorate’s capital of Mukalla and the coastal areas.

The First Military District forces have been present in Wadi Hadramout since before 2015. There is much speculation about their loyalty to the Islamic Islah Party. However, Southern politicians talk about the influence of the Houthis there.

Commenting on the incident, Houthi leader Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti said on the X platform: "Saudi Arabia will exploit this incident to deploy the Nation Shield Forces to impose its direct control over the most important and largest Yemeni governorate."

Houthi media leader Hamid Rizq described the incident as a "heroic operation." He said on the X platform: "The operation of the hero Al-Arousi is the beginning and an indication of a harsh future awaiting the invaders."