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South Yemen leader vows to continue fight against 'rebels' in north

After his return from a tour that included Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of Yemen's South Transitional Council, talks to Al-Monitor about pressing local and regional issues.
Dismissed governor of the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, Aidaroos al-Zubaidi (R), waves to  supporters of the separatist Southern Movement as they demonstrated against recent decisions by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi that sacked senior officials supported by the United Arab Emirates, including al-Zubaidi in Aden, Yemen May 4, 2017. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman - RTS154Z1
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Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of the South Transitional Council (STC), told Al-Monitor that the council stands with the Saudi-led Arab coalition against what he called the “rebels” in North Yemen, referring to the alliance between Ansar Allah (Houthis) and former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who leads the General People's Congress.

He said that he has forces fighting in areas in North Yemen alongside the coalition to defeat what he called the “Iranian project.” Zubaidi noted that the establishment of the council has nothing to do with his dismissal from his position as governor of Aden, saying that the idea of establishing the council came up a year ago. He asserted that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has no goals and plans in South Yemen and that there is no disagreement between Saudi Arabia and the UAE regarding the war in Yemen. He also said that he was the first to uncover Qatar’s involvement in supporting terrorist groups in Aden and a number of areas in South Yemen.

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