Taiz Governorate Witnesses Surge in Assassination Attempts Targeting Prominent Figures
Barran Press
A recent assassination attempt against Brigadier General Abdo Qasim Al-Buhairi, head of the Military Intelligence Division in Taiz, has brought renewed focus to the alarming rise in such attacks plaguing Yemen's Taiz Governorate.
According to a report by the Barran Press monitoring unit, at least 26 assassination operations and attempts targeting approximately 30 military, security, and civilian leaders have occurred in Taiz City between April 2018 and June 2024. This concerning trend has unfolded against the backdrop of the city's decade-long siege.
The report details a range of methods employed in these attacks, including targeted killings with live bullets, the use of explosive devices, and even a drone strike. The human cost has been significant, with nine assassinations resulting in the deaths of ten individuals, including two brigade commanders.
The years 2019 and 2023 witnessed the highest number of attempts (seven each), with one resulting in the killing of Brigadier General Adnan Al-Hammadi, commander of the 35th Armored Brigade. The report further suggests that some targeted leaders, like Colonel Abdo Noman Al-Zariqi, faced multiple attempts before ultimately being killed in clashes with the Houthi group in March 2021.
The Barran Press report underscores the gravity of the situation in Taiz Governorate. The prevalence of targeted killings targeting prominent figures not only disrupts essential security functions but also creates a climate of fear and instability within the besieged city.
The report highlights a pattern of attacks against prominent figures, including a daring drone strike on March 25, 2023, that targeted both Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Mohsen Al-Daari and Governor Nabil Shamsan during their first visit to the war-ravaged region. Fortunately, both officials escaped the attempt unharmed.
Military leadership has become a frequent target. The report details assassination attempts against commanders of five separate brigades. Three commanders – Colonel Radwan Al-Adini (League Brigade), Brigadier General Adnan Al-Hammadi (35th Armored Brigade), and Colonel Abdo Noman Al-Zariqi (4th Jabali Infantry Brigade) – were killed in these attacks. However, attempts on the lives of Brigadier General Sadiq Sarhan (22nd Mechanized Brigade) and Brigadier General Abdul Rahman Al-Shamsani (17th Infantry Brigade) were unsuccessful.
The report further exposes a wider net of targeted officials, including Brigadier General Jamal Al-Shamiri (Military Police Commander), Brigadier General Mansour Al-Akhali (Taiz Police Director General), and Brigadier General Abdulaziz Al-Majidi (Chief of Staff, Taiz Axis). Notably, several officers within the 17th Infantry Brigade and the 35th Armored Brigade were targeted, encompassing chiefs of staff, intelligence officers, and communications officers.
Beyond military and security personnel, the report identifies the assassination of Muayyad Hamidi, the head of the World Food Program team in Taiz. Additionally, two Political Security officers, Brigadier General Abdo Malhi and Officer Adnan Al-Muhaya, were targeted.
The Barran Press report paints a concerning picture of instability within Taiz Governorate. The systematic targeting of prominent figures, including high-ranking military officials and humanitarian workers, disrupts essential security functions and underscores the urgent need for peace in the war-torn region.
Unfolding a Pattern of Attacks:
The Barran Press report outlines a series of attacks targeting prominent figures, including military commanders, security officials, a humanitarian worker, and government personnel.
April 26, 2018: Commander of the 22nd Mechanized Brigade, Brigadier General Sadiq Sarhan, survived an assassination attempt when unknown assailants opened fire on his convoy while he was heading to visit military sites east of the city of Taiz.
July 9, 2018: Colonel Radwan Al-Adini was assassinated by gunfire while pursuing gunmen. Later, the authorities announced the arrest of the accused, and the court subsequently issued a death sentence for five of them.
October 29, 2018: Commander of the 4th Jabali Infantry Brigade, Colonel Abdo Noman Al-Zariqi, survived the fourth assassination attempt, by detonating an explosive device next to his house in the city of Al-Turbah. He was later martyred in confrontations with the Houthis on March 22, 2021.
November 18, 2018: Commander of the 17th Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Abdul Rahman Al-Shamsani, survived the second assassination attempt in less than two weeks, by shooting at his convoy in the Al-Nashma area in the countryside of Taiz City.
November 21, 2018: The Chief of Staff of the Taiz Axis, Brigadier General Abdulaziz Al-Majidi, and the commander of the governorate’s military police, Brigadier General Jamal Al-Shamiri, were subjected to an assassination attempt.
March 13, 2018: Taiz Military Police Commander, Brigadier General Jamal Al-Shamiri, survived an assassination attempt in the Wadi Al-Qadi area. During which a number of his companions were injured during clashes with unknown persons. This was preceded by numerous attempts to assassinate him.
January 7, 2019: The Commander of the Military Police in Taiz, Brigadier General Jamal Al-Shamiri, survived a second assassination attempt, and three of his companions were injured after he was exposed to gunfire by unknown assailants near the central prison building.
January 17, 2019: The head of operations of the 17th Infantry Brigade, Colonel Abdo Hamoud Al-Saghir, survived an assassination attempt in the Al-Murour area, west of the city of Taiz, by fire from unknown assailants, as a result of which two of his companions were injured.
March 18, 2019: A company commander in the 22nd Mechanized Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Muqbil, was assassinated, along with one of his companions, by unknown assailants’ fire in the central market in the center of Taiz.
March 22, 2019: The Director General of Taiz Police, Brigadier General Mansour Al-Akhali, survived an assassination attempt by unknown assailants who targeted his convoy in the center of the city, while he was heading to a meeting of the committee charged with pursuing subversive elements.
April 19, 2019 Armed men assassinated the Taiz police security officer, Captain Mahmoud Al-Hamidi, in an armed ambush set up by unknown assailants while he was returning from carrying out a security mission.
April 27, 2019: The head of operations of the 17th Infantry Brigade, Colonel Abdo Hammoud Al-Saghir, survived the second assassination attempt on Muroor Street near the Political Security building.
December 2, 2019: The commander of the 35th Armored Brigade, Brigadier General Adnan Al-Hammadi, was assassinated by direct fire. He had previously been subjected to an assassination attempt in late 2018.
August 4, 2020: The Commander of the Military Police in Taiz, Brigadier General Muhammad Salem Al-Khawlani, survived an assassination attempt, and his companion was injured by an explosive device planted in a military vehicle he was riding while he was in the Al-Dahi area.
August 6, 2020: The Supply Staff of the 35th Armored Brigade, Colonel Adel Al-Hammadi, survived an armed ambush in the Al-Mawasit District, south of Taiz, during which three of his companions were injured.
January 2, 2021: The military commander in the Taiz Axis, Abdul Wahed Ali Ghaleb, and his brother, Muhammad Ali Ghaleb, were assassinated in the Jabal Habashi District, by fire from unknown assailants, and the security services announced the arrest of the accused.
June 28, 2021: Political Security officer, Brigadier General Abdo Malhi, was assassinated by shooting at the Republican Hospital in the Republican district.
December 2, 2021: The Communications Staff of the 35th Armored Brigade, Colonel Abdel Baset Al-Qadi, survived an assassination attempt in the Sunday market in the Al-Maafra District with an explosive device that led to his foot being amputated, and soldiers and civilians were injured.
January 30, 2023: The former Taiz security advisor, Dr. Brigadier General Abdullah Al-Qaisi, was assassinated by fire from unknown assailants who blocked his way in the center of the city of Taiz.
March 25, 2023: The Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Mohsen Al-Daari, and the Governor of Taiz, Nabil Shamsan, survived an assassination attempt with a bomb-laden drone, attributed to the Houthi group, while they were inspecting one of the fighting fronts in Taiz Governorate.
March 31, 2023: Colonel Yasser Al-Hashidi, head of operations of the 3rd Brigade Border Guard stationed in the Al-Alab axis, north of Saada Governorate, was assassinated by fire from unknown assailants, on his way to his home in Wadi Al-Qadi, north of the city of Taiz.
July 21, 2023: Unidentified gunmen assassinated the head of the World Food Program team, Moayed Hamidi, in the city of Turba.
July 11, 2023: Assistant in the Central Security Forces, Salah Al-Omrani, was assassinated by unknown assailants in the center of the city of Taiz. Al-Omrani was charged with investigating the assassination of UN official Moayed Hamidi.
August 15, 2023: Political Security officer Adnan Al-Muhaya was assassinated in the Al-Jahmiliya area, two days after receiving threats of physical liquidation. He is also a member of the investigation committee into the assassination of “Moayad Hamidi.”
October 22, 2023: Staff of the 35th Armored Brigade, Colonel Muhammad Yahya Al-Jaifi, survived an assassination attempt in Al-Ain market in Al-Mawasit District, during which he was injured by gunshots to the neck and shoulder.
On June 1, 2024, the Director of the Intelligence Division in the Taiz Military Axis, Brigadier General Abdo Qasim Al-Buhairi, survived an assassination attempt with an explosive device. It exploded in his car after leaving his house, sustaining a minor injury, while 4 of his soldiers were seriously injured, one of whom was seriously injured.
January 2, 2021: The military commander in the Taiz Axis, Abdul Wahed Ali Ghaleb, and his brother, Muhammad Ali Ghaleb, were assassinated in the Jabal Habashi District, by fire from unknown assailants, and the security services announced the arrest of the accused.
June 28, 2021: Political Security officer, Brigadier General Abdo Malhi, was assassinated by shooting at the Republican Hospital in the Republican district.
December 2, 2021: The Communications Staff of the 35th Armored Brigade, Colonel Abdel Baset Al-Qadi, survived an assassination attempt in the Sunday market in the Al-Maafra District with an explosive device that led to his foot being amputated, and soldiers and civilians were injured.
January 30, 2023: The former Taiz security advisor, Dr. Brigadier General Abdullah Al-Qaisi, was assassinated by fire from unknown assailants who blocked his way in the center of the city of Taiz.
March 25, 2023: The Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Mohsen Al-Daari, and the Governor of Taiz, Nabil Shamsan, survived an assassination attempt with a bomb-laden drone, attributed to the Houthi group, while they were inspecting one of the fighting fronts in Taiz Governorate.
March 31, 2023: Colonel Yasser Al-Hashidi, head of operations of the 3rd Brigade Border Guard stationed in the Al-Alab axis, north of Saada Governorate, was assassinated by fire from unknown assailants, on his way to his home in Wadi Al-Qadi, north of the city of Taiz.
July 21, 2023: Unidentified gunmen assassinated the head of the World Food Program team, Moayed Hamidi, in the city of Turba.
July 11, 2023: Assistant in the Central Security Forces, Salah Al-Omrani, was assassinated by unknown assailants in the center of the city of Taiz. Al-Omrani was charged with investigating the assassination of UN official Moayed Hamidi.
August 15, 2023: Political Security officer Adnan Al-Muhaya was assassinated in the Al-Jahmiliya area, two days after receiving threats of physical liquidation. He is also a member of the investigation committee into the assassination of “Moayad Hamidi.”
October 22, 2023: Staff of the 35th Armored Brigade, Colonel Muhammad Yahya Al-Jaifi, survived an assassination attempt in Al-Ain market in Al-Mawasit District, during which he was injured by gunshots to the neck and shoulder.
On June 1, 2024, the Director of the Intelligence Division in the Taiz Military Axis, Brigadier General Abdo Qasim Al-Buhairi, survived an assassination attempt with an explosive device. It exploded in his car after leaving his house, sustaining a minor injury, while 4 of his soldiers were seriously injured, one of whom was seriously injured.