MOGADISHU (Kaab TV) — Brig. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Arab Coalition in Yemen, revealed new details about STC Chairman Aidarus Al-Zubaidi’s escape.
According to Al-Maliki, intelligence reports indicate that Aidarus Al-Zubaidi secretly left the city of Aden late at night, accompanied by several individuals. The group departed by sea from the Port of Aden and headed toward the Port of Berbera in Somaliland.
The spokesperson stated that the fleeing group switched off the vessel’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) and arrived at the Port of Berbera around midday yesterday. Upon arrival, Al-Zubaidi reportedly contacted an individual known as “Abu Saeed,” who was later identified as Major General Awad Saeed Musleh Al-Ahbabi, Commander of Joint Operations of the United Arab Emirates.
Al-Maliki added that an aircraft was waiting for the group in Berbera. The plane departed without publicly disclosing its destination, with the group on board under the supervision of Emirati officers.
The aircraft is reported to have landed at Mogadishu International Airport around midday yesterday, where it remained on the ground for approximately one hour before continuing its flight toward the Arabian Gulf via the Arabian Sea.
According to the statement, the aircraft’s identification system was switched off while passing over the Gulf of Oman and was reactivated ten minutes before landing at Al-Reef Military Airbase in Abu Dhabi later that evening.
A review of the maritime vessel used in the escape revealed that it was registered under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis—the same flag carried by the vessel “Green Land,” which was previously accused of transporting weapons and military vehicles to the Port of Mukalla from Fujairah, as cited in a Coalition statement issued on December 30, 2025.
In conclusion, the Coalition spokesperson noted that investigations are ongoing into the whereabouts of several individuals who last met with Aidarus Al-Zubaidi prior to his escape. Among them are Ahmed Hamid Lalas, the former governor of Aden, and Mohsen Al-Wali, the commander of Aden’s security forces, both of whom are reported to be out of contact.