Abyan (South24) 

The assassination of the Security Belt Commander in the Southern governorate of Abyan, Brigadier General Abdulatif Al-Sayyed, last Wednesday has provoked wide reactions.

A state of deep sadness has dominated South Yemen as Al-Sayyed, who belongs to Abyan, was one of the most popular commanders.

At the official level, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and first-rank leaders mourned him in separate statements.

Southern leaders described him as being a "hero" and "extraordinary". STC President Aidrous Al-Zubaidi said: "He courageously sacrificed his life for the sake of South Yemen".

Moreover, members of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) issued several statements as well as the Defense and Interior Ministries in which they mourned Al-Sayyed.

Other local parties, as part of the internationally-recognized government, mourned him in statements, including the Islah Party in Abyan.

However, media platforms, funded by the Islamic Islah party, have repeatedly doubted the role played by Al-Sayyed and leveled different accusations against him. 

In a more radical stance, a senior Houthi official said that "Al-Sayyed was killed while he was in the ranks of the nation's enemies. He will eternally be in hell".

The Governor of Dhamar, Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, affiliated with the Houthis, described the war by the Southern forces against terrorism as being a "play".

His comments came amid accusations by Southern experts against the Houthis of cooperating with the extremist AQAP.

The United States was the first and the most prominent international party that mourned Abdullatif Al-Sayyed and his escorts.

Via X platform, the US Embassy in Yemen said: "We were informed about the assassination of Security Belt Commander in Abyan Abdulatif Mohammed Hussein Bafaqih Al-Sayyed".

It added: "We would like to convey our deepest condolence for this great calamity. We stress that the US will continue supporting Yemen in combating and eradicating terrorism".