Yemeni forces release party deputy head in Aden

By Mohammed al-Samei

SANAA

Security forces in Yemen’s southern city of Aden has released a senior party leader after a week-long detention, a party spokesman said Tuesday.

Mohamed Abdul Malik, assistant secretary-general of Al-Islah party in Aden, was set free, Khaled Haidan told Anadolu Agency.

He said security authorities have pledged to release eight party members on Wednesday.

Last week, security forces rounded up a number of party members and activists during raids in Aden.

Al-Islah party is a main backer of the internationally-recognized government and the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Yemen fell into civil war in 2014 when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, forcing Yemen’s Saudi-backed government to set up an interim capital in the coastal city of Aden.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies began a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi military gains in Yemen.