Houthi militia using poison to get rid of its commanders
Internal rifts are raging on in the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen, as swirls of conspiracies sweep through the militia.
Senior Houthi officer Hussein Zayed bin Yahia died
recently in Yemeni capital Sana'a from poisoning.
Houthi lawmaker Ahmed Seif Hashed said Yahia was
poisoned five days before his death.
He quoted a friend of his as saying that he decided to
stay at home.
Yahia was appointed earlier as the governor of the
southern province of Abyan where he hails from.
His killing is the latest in a series of
assassinations taking place inside the Houthi militia. These assassinations are
mainly targeting senior officers inside the militia.
According to some Houthi activists, the Houthi militia
is improvising new methods for getting rid of its senior commanders. Poison is
being added to this list of methods.
Yahia worked as the deputy minister of youth and
sports before. In recent months, however, he was sidelined by the associates of
Houthi leader Abdel Malak al-Houthi who are known to be hawks inside the
militia.
His death with poison was declared by Mayhoub
al-Hossam, a close associate of his who said Yahia had asked him to announce
the cause of his death.
Al-Hossam added that Yahia's will is for his home to
remain open for all Yemenis.
Yahia helped found the political arm of the Houthi
militia. His assassination was a direct result of conflicts within the militia.
