By Mohammed Ali Kalfood
The men belong to a growing faction of Salafis, an ultra-conservative Sunni religious group. In Taiz, the Salafis were once known for being preachers in mosques and religious scholars, but now they have become the most dominant fighters among local resistance to the Shiite Houthi rebels, who ousted from power Yemen’s President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
First seen in March of last year, .... the Salafi fighters have increased in number since the Saudi-led coalition began its air campaign. Their presence in Taiz, the third-largest city in Yemen, has been particularly notable.
Residents worry that the growing Salafi movement is laying the groundwork for even more conflict among religious groups. According to several local residents, Homat al-Aqida fighters, the largest of five Salafi factions in Taiz, resemble al Qaeda-linked groups.
Some residents "see the Salafis as synonymous to al Qaeda," said Mohammed al-Azaazi, a Taiz university student. "The Salafis have detained several people and carried out public executions, while claiming they apply the Islamic Sharia."
While the Salafi factions in Taiz deny they have links to al Qaeda, their fighters spearheaded the attack on the central prison last year, which led to dozens of prisoners escaping, including al Qaeda members.
The Salafi fighters’ presence is still relatively new in Taiz, but is rapidly transforming the city, according to Baleegh al-Zuraiqi, 34, a local resident in downtown Taiz. The Salafis have been based in four neighborhoods since the fighting started, al-Zuraiqi said, "including Bab Mosa, where they have established an Islamic court to solve issues and cases among the local people."
Source: The Intercept, Edited by Website Team
