The commander of the 10th "Samad" Brigade, Amid Salah Muqbal al-Salahi, called on the fighters to "return to the bosom of the homeland and the republic" and claimed that he had witnessed the "crimes, injustice, tyranny and arrogance" of the Houthi militia in the district where he served.
Yemeni Brigadier General Salah Moqbel al-Salahi, former commander of the 10th “Sammad” Brigade in the Houthi forces, announced his defection from the group and joined the internationally recognized government forces in the Taiz region of southwestern Yemen.
In a video released by Yemen’s Armed Forces media center, al-Salahi, wearing government army uniform, urged Houthi fighters to abandon the militia and return “to the embrace of the republic,” denouncing the Houthis’ crimes and destruction of Yemeni society. He said he had witnessed the militia’s “injustice, arrogance, and tyranny” in Taiz, where he had commanded his brigade.
According to Yemeni media, al-Salahi was active in Taiz and the Sha’arab al-Salam district, and was regarded as an influential tribal and military figure. Sources cited by Al-Ayyam newspaper said his defection stemmed from growing Houthi pressure to forcibly recruit youths from his home area and expand their military presence in local tribal communities.