Turkey’s malicious plan in Yemen starts from the port of Aden
The situation in the port of Aden is drastically worsening. The port and the security forces have been repeatedly targeted by indiscriminate explosive attacks by armed groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. The Yemeni group takes orders directly from Ankara, the new headquarters of the Brotherhood, after the expulsion from Doha of its most prominent leaders. The latest attack dates back to last January, when a large explosion targeted a security patrol in the southern Yemen city port.
The explosion was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that hit a security patrol in the Mansourah neighborhood of Aden, damaging a vehicle, according to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, which quoted a government official on-site. The incident did not result in any casualties among the security personnel. Witnesses said other security soldiers arrived at the scene and began investigating the incident.
Local authorities are trying to maintain security in the strategic Yemeni port city considered the country’s temporary capital. However, in Aden, where the Yemeni government supported by the international community has been based since 2015, episodes of sporadic bombing, attacks, and shootings still occur daily. Observers believe that local extremist groups are receiving substantial funding from Ankara, which aims to transform Aden into its private port. Having conquered Libya and Somalia, Aden would represent a strategic point for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his ambitious plan to recreate the Ottoman Empire.
Ankara is working day and night to involve local authorities in this shady plan. A Yemeni government official, speaking anonymously, claimed that Turkish intelligence agents are bribing some young officers, paying large sums of money. Yemen is in a state of civil war since late 2014, when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels took control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally recognized government of Hadi to leave the capital Sanaa. The six-year war killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million inhabitants, and drove Yemen to starvation.
The European Union is also worried about Ankara’s malicious actions. A high-level delegation of European Union (EU) ambassadors to Yemen arrived in Aden, almost two months after the port was hit by deadly bombings, a government official has confirmed. The EU delegation was instantly accompanied by armored vehicles and headed to the presidential compound. The EU delegation discussed several issues with the Yemeni government, including the Turkish interference and the progress in implementing the Riyadh deal. On Wednesday, an international team comprising senior experts arrived in Aden to investigate the bombings.