Abd al-Latif, "The Hurricane of the South against al-Qaeda."
English - Saturday 12 August 2023 الساعة 05:05 pm
Aden, newsyemen, private:
With deep sadness, Abyan and the south in general bid farewell, on Thursday, to Brigadier General Abd al-Latif al-Sayyed, commander of the security belt forces, following his martyrdom and a number of his companions in the explosion of explosive devices planted by terrorist elements east of Mudiya district.
Brigadier General al-Sayyed, the most prominent leader of Abyan and the south, was martyred after a life full of achievements in the war on terrorism in a governorate with a difficult mountainous geography, from which terrorism took dens and camps for many years.
Al-Sayyed was martyred, along with the prominent tribal sheikh in Abyan, "Karid al-Jaadani," the sheikh of the Ja'adna tribe, one of the largest tribes in Abyan, in addition to the head of the security belt operations in the governorate, Captain Salah al-Yousifi, and a number of al-Sayed's companions, after detonating a number of explosive devices targeting a vehicle they were on.
Al-Sayyed is considered the most prominent leader in the war on terrorism in Abyan and the south, and he was previously subjected to many assassination attempts through booby-trapped devices and suicide bombers.
Al-Sayyed began his war on terrorism after terrorist groups wreaked havoc in Abyan governorate in 2011, and he was among the first to form the popular committees to confront Al-Qaeda, which brought down the governorate during that period.
The popular committees, led by Al-Sayyed, were able to purify Abyan from terrorism in 2012, and despite the fact that he was subjected to many terrorist attacks that targeted his person in an attempt to assassinate the spirit of leadership of the popular committees, al-Sayyid was able to thwart all their plans and trap the organization's cells in the province.
After the Houthi invasion of Abyan and the south, Al-Sayyed was the warlord in the province, and many members of the popular committees were martyred. Al-Sayyed's forces were able to prevent the Houthis from advancing towards the capital, Zanzibar, which remained a rallying point for resistance, which put pressure on the Houthi militias in Aden.
After the liberation of Abyan and the south from the Houthi militias, the terrorist organization resumed its activity and targeted the leaders of the popular and resistance committees, and the focus of terrorism was on Brigadier General al-Sayyed before others, as his house was stormed by takfiri elements while he was outside the governorate, which was living in a turbulent security situation after the collapse of the state's military and security institutions.
Terrorists stormed Al-Sayyed's house, kidnapped his brother "Ali", executed him and dragged him through the streets of Jaar.
Al-Sayyed tried to rearrange the popular committees and restore the province after al-Qaeda militants took control of its capital, Zanzibar, but the government loyal to the Brotherhood, at the time, refused to support him and the security services in Abyan and left it prey to terrorism.
After the formation of the security belt forces, with the support and supervision of the United Arab Emirates, and their success in securing Abyan and Lahj, the idea reached Abyan and the formation of its own force began.
Al-Sayyed and his forces embarked on the battle to purify Abyan with the support of the UAE forces, and managed to purify it after it was a shelter for the most prominent leaders of al-Qaeda in Yemen.
The entry of the Brotherhood forces into the province in August of 2019 brought al-Qaeda back to the province, and the organization began spreading and establishing camps in Abyan in front of everyone and under the protection of the Brotherhood forces.
Subsequently, Abyan witnessed many assassinations carried out by al-Qaeda elements, targeting only the security belt soldiers.
Brigadier General Abd al-Latif Al-Sayyed led the "East Arrows" campaign at the end of last year, and the campaign was able to clear large areas of the province and seize many of its elements.
Al-Sayyed was the most prominent leader of the campaign, in which a number of military and security units participated, and he was known for his strength and courage in the war on terrorism. A few months before the launch of the campaign, he was subjected to an assassination attempt through booby-trapped cars that targeted his convoy in the Batis area of Abyan.
Brigadier General Al-Sayyed was martyred while he was at the head of the campaign leading the heroes to victories in Umaran, Wadi al-Radf and al-Janin, in a battle he vowed himself to and repeatedly repeated that he would not stop it until the eradication of terrorism from his province.
Abyan and the whole country are saddened by the passing away of the hero of heroes, the knight of the province, and its faithful guard. However, the battle against terrorism will not stop, but will derive its strength from the courage and persistence of its symbolic leader, Abdul Latif Al-Sayyed. And his supporters.
