1,413 Yemenis probed after illegal entry

The government is investigating whether 1,413 Yemenis who entered the country illegally since the start of Operation Decisive Storm are on the Interior Ministry’s most wanted list.
Maj. Gen Mohammad Al-Ghamdi, spokesman of the Border Guard, reportedly said recently that these people would be checked against a government database. If someone is on the list, the person would be referred to the relevant security agency.
He said the Border Guard has arrested 399 smugglers, prevented 24,506 people from entering the country, and confiscated 89 weapons since the start of Operation Decisive Storm.
He said soldiers stationed on the border with Yemen have during the same period seized 45,826 kg of Qat involving 139 smuggling operations, a 60 percent fall in comparison to previous periods.
Meanwhile, Sanaa rights bodies claimed recently that Houthis have been kidnapping members and leaders of the Yemeni Reform Party, and broken into several of its offices in five Yemeni governorates.
A report in a local newspaper said that 318 reformists have been kidnapped since the start of the campaign. The Houthis have also allegedly broken into 26 houses and 33 companies and charities.
The bodies have called on the Houthis to lay down their arms, return to the negotiating table so that a political solution can be found for Yemen, and release their hostages.
In a further development, Izzat Al-Douri, deputy president under Saddam Hussein, has welcomed Operation Decisive Storm as a boost for Arab nationalism. He said the coalition should be used to stop Iran’s expansion in Iraq. He also said that those who believe in the takfiri ideology are the main enemies of the Arab world.