Iran-backed Houthis assassinate a prominent leader
The Iran-backed Houthis assassinated one of the most prominent leaders of Al-Qaeda loyal to them in Yemen, which they had previously appointed to a high position. Security sources in Sanaa reported.
The sources reported the killing of the leader of al-Qaeda and the Houthi-appointed deputy governor of Sanaa, Aref Mujali, in an operation described as a traffic accident, after which he was killed with one of his companions, and 4 others who were with him.
The sources pointed out that the Houthis instructed their experts to assassinate Al-Qaeda leader Aref Mujali, but the traffic accident was orchestrated, with the aim of camouflaging and denying their connection with Al-Qaeda, after they reached other leaders and attracted various terrorist elements from the second row of the organization with the aim of fighting with them.
The sources confirmed that the Houthis' assassination of the leader in Al-Qaeda, came one week after a meeting held between 7 leaders of al-Qaeda, headed by the leader of the organization, Nayef Al-A'awaj, and Houthi leaders from the so-called preventive security intelligence, at the security headquarters.
Houthis resorted to Al-Qaeda elements in the process of mobilizing fighters after they failed to mobilize fighters to compensate for their losses on the fronts of Marib, Hajjah, and before that, Shabwa.
In late November 2021, Al-Qaeda leader Aref Mujali appeared, along with a number of Houthi leaders in Sanaa, in a ceremony honoring him, attended by the head of the Houthi coup government.