Prisoners Affairs Chief denies claims of captured military leaders in Taiz

Head of the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs Abdulqader Al-Murtadha has denied reports by Saudi enemy forces that Yemeni military leaders were captured in Taiz governorate.

Speaking to Saba on Wednesday, Al-Murtadha said those captured were Interior Ministry employees assigned to secure the central prison after Yemeni armed forces took control of it on Tuesday. They reportedly took a wrong turn amid overlapping front lines and entered an area still controlled by Saudi enemy forces, where they were surrounded and captured.

He said such incidents were common on fronts near residential areas and would neither constitute a strategic victory nor change the course of the battle. He accused Saudi enemy forces of publicizing the incident to conceal their battlefield setbacks and boost their fighters’ morale.

Al-Murtadha added that Yemeni armed forces had captured more than 700 people on the Taiz fronts, including dozens of senior military commanders. He stressed that prisoners’ rights must be respected and protected, warning against exploiting their cases for media propaganda.

He held Saudi enemy forces responsible for the safety of all prisoners and called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit detainees in Taiz and verify their conditions in detention.