ISTANBUL 

Yemen’s army on Monday launched the first phase of a plan to remove military camps from within the interim capital Aden, starting with the evacuation of the strategically significant Jabal Hadid base, as the country’s leadership reiterated its resolve to assert exclusive state control over armed forces.

Yemen’s official Saba news agency quoted Brig. Gen. Abu Khaled Mohammed al-Turki, chief of staff of the Third Giants Brigade, as saying the move marks the beginning of a broader effort to end the presence of military installations inside urban areas.

“The practical implementation of the plan began today in Aden with the evacuation of Jabal Hadid camp, including the withdrawal of personnel, weapons and ammunition,” Turki said.

Jabal Hadid is one of Aden’s most prominent military sites due to its elevated geographic position overlooking key districts and its proximity to vital facilities, including the presidential palace and the city’s international airport.

For years, the camp served as a focal point of military influence over Aden’s security environment and had hosted forces loyal to Aidarus al-Zubaidi, head of the now-dissolved Southern Transitional Council (STC), according to an Anadolu correspondent.

Turki said the camp was handed over to a Facilities Protection and Security Force unit in the presence of military and security officials, as well as representatives of civil society organizations.

He described the evacuation as the first step in a comprehensive plan approved to eliminate armed manifestations inside Aden, carried out under the directives of Presidential Leadership Council member Abdulrahman al-Muharrami and supervised by joint forces supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Separately, Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al-Alimi reaffirmed that Yemen would not allow the emergence of any military or security entities operating outside the framework of the state.

During a meeting in Riyadh with Fahd bin Hamad al-Salman, commander of the joint forces of the Saudi-led coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen, Alimi stressed the importance of consolidating the state’s monopoly over weapons across all operational theaters.

He emphasized the need to “prevent the formation of any military or security body outside state institutions,” according to Saba.

Alimi added that Yemen is working with coalition partners on mechanisms for a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening the armed forces’ capabilities to deter threats to security and stability, combat terrorism, curb smuggling and address organized crime.

The move follows recent security tensions in southern Yemen and efforts by the Presidential Leadership Council to restore state control.

Yemeni government forces recaptured the eastern provinces of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra from fighters of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) early this month. The two regions, which account for nearly half of Yemen’s territory, were seized by STC fighters last month.