Troops rescue 20-year-old man after three months in terrorist captivity in Kaga
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have rescued a 20-year-old man, Adam Yabana, who escaped from terrorist captivity after spending more than three months in captivity in Borno State.… pic.twitter.com/SVXLdMTWVh
Troops rescue 20-year-old man after three months in terrorist captivity in Kaga
By Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have rescued a 20-year-old man, Adam Yabana, who escaped from terrorist captivity after spending more than three months in captivity in Borno State.
Yabana was intercepted by troops of 156 Task Force Battalion, operating in conjunction with the AHQ Intelligence Fusion Battalion and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Mainok, Kaga Local Government Area, during a clearance operation on Sept. 9.
The operation followed credible intelligence on the activities of suspected terrorists around Abasuri village.
During the clearance operation, the troops intercepted Yabana, who told investigators that he had been captured by terrorists while working on a farm in the Gowo general area.
According to preliminary interrogation, he remained in captivity for over three months before successfully escaping on Sept. 8 and making his way to Barmalanti village.
He was subsequently directed towards Mainok, where troops intercepted him during the ongoing clearance operation.
The rescued man is expected to be handed over to the intelligence personnel of 29 Task Force Brigade for further investigation and debriefing.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[Regnum] Less than a week after the civil war in Yemen thawed, the balance of power in the conflict has shifted dramatically. Saudi Arabian-backed forces, based in Aden, suffered a crushing defeat in western Yemen after a brief period of tactical success.
The Ansar Allah movement (the Houthis) managed not only to recapture previously lost territories but also to completely clear the coast of the enemy and seal the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This, in turn, created a strategic threat for Riyadh, which had expected a completely different outcome from this "small victorious" operation.
BREAK THE GOLDEN ARROW
The operation, which the Houthis dubbed "Popular Strike," lasted about a week. After repelling attacks by central government forces east of the capital, Sana'a (under Ansar Allah control since 2015), the Houthis launched a counteroffensive. However, they moved not inland or northeast (toward the Saudi border), as their opponents had clearly intended, but along the coast.
In a short time, they managed to take major cities—including Mokha (the key maritime hub of the government camp in the Red Sea), Zubab, and Murad—as well as several dozen smaller settlements.
In total, since the beginning of the escalation, Ansar Allah units have taken control of six districts covering a total area of approximately 5,400 square kilometers, increasing their overall zone of presence to 180,000 square kilometers. Thus, by mid-September 2026, the Houthis controlled a third of the country.
Although the government coalition was able to advance northwest in response (for example, deepening its zone of control in Al-Jawf province), from a strategic point of view the campaign proved a failure for Aden.
It's worth noting that the fighting this time wasn't limited to land. Ansar Allah launched an amphibious assault on key islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Sana'a gained control of the islands of al-Zuqar, Greater Hanish, and Lesser Hanish, as well as Perim (Mayoun) Island, which was used by international coalition forces as a "sea outpost."
The garrison of the Red Sea islands (up to 2 thousand people) capitulated after short battles under guarantees of safety.
The successes of the autumn of 2026 allowed Ansar Allah not only to reverse the results of the government's previous offensive operations in Aden (primarily Operation Golden Arrow in 2017, which nearly brought the movement to the brink of defeat), but also to establish full control over maritime logistics through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, eliminating the "blind spots" that had previously been exploited by enterprising shipowners.
Furthermore, Ansar Allah obtained large quantities of weapons and equipment from pro-Saudi forces (including heavy armored vehicles), command maps and plans, and other classified materials. Hundreds of defectors and former inmates of local political prisons swelled their ranks.
EVERYONE CAN, BUT NOT THE SAUDIS
After clearing the coastal towns, Ansar Allah's leadership declared the end of the "Popular Offensive" and the stabilization of the front. Although fighting with the central Yemeni government had not subsided by that point (and pro-Saudi forces, along with the Saudi Air Force, continued to strike the outskirts of Mokha), Houthi armed forces spokesman Yahya Sari publicly declared the resistance victorious in the new war.
The official "voice of the Houthis" did not miss the chance to comment on the changes that Ansar Allah's seizure of the entire Red Sea coast has brought to the region.
The overall message of Sari's speech was that with the victory of the Popular Strike, the Houthis have become a key force in Yemen and, with the capture of strategic islands, are able to completely control traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Sana'a now intends to apply the Iranian-proven "Hormuz Mechanism" to this zone, including imposing a voluntary-compulsory toll on vessels operating in these areas. In exchange, it will ensure safe civilian navigation.
However, the Houthi favor, as expected, does not extend to Saudi Arabia. The "Red Sea Gate" has been sealed for them, in retaliation for the earlier blockade of Yemeni ports.
"The Yemeni Armed Forces confirm that maritime navigation is safe for all companies, but not for Saudi vessels, which are already subject to a blockade," Sari emphasized.
However, for official Riyadh, the de facto closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait was not the only problem. Following the damage and partial disabling of the East-West oil pipeline infrastructure, which the kingdom used to transport petroleum products from ports in the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea and back, the Saudis lost the ability to quickly redistribute flows between the two routes, which had previously allowed them to accommodate short periods of unblocked sea routes.
Combined with the tightened blockade of the Red Sea, Riyadh will be forced to seek new, more expensive and longer routes, which will inevitably impact the kingdom's economy, which is still heavily dependent on energy exports.
HELP FROM FRIENDS
After the active phase of hostilities ended, the war shifted to the political realm. Seeking to explain the Houthi rebels' sudden success, the US accused Iran of "orchestrating" Operation Popular Push. The House of Saud also echoed this accusation, though, to be on the safe side, it chose to channel these accusations into the mouths of pro-government bloggers and experts.
Washington and Riyadh are confident that military advisers were involved – the Houthis acted with too much confidence and atypical effectiveness in areas where they had previously been unable to advance even a hundred meters for years.
Moreover, in the first days of Ansar Allah's counteroffensive, the infantry suddenly acquired a large number of drones (including FPV drones), reconnaissance, and communications equipment; the strategic forces' range of ballistic missiles expanded, and their accuracy increased exponentially. And the Houthi "fleet" somehow managed to approach strategically important islands undetected.
There were rumors that Tehran sent about twenty high-ranking IRGC commanders to Yemen, but Iranian authorities denied this information.
However, while criticizing Tehran, Washington is delicately silent about its own attempts to secretly help its Arabian ally and its Yemeni protégé.
Thus, since the beginning of September, the United States—despite Donald Trump's publicly stated refusal to interfere in "someone else's war"—has significantly expanded the scope of its intelligence support for Riyadh, including supplying the Saudi General Staff with data on identified targets.
This data was subsequently used by the Saudis to launch airstrikes, and by Yemeni central government units to adjust artillery fire. According to various estimates, between 100 and 200 American troops coordinated the strikes.
However, Saudi Arabia apparently also counted on naval and air support, especially when the situation spiraled out of control.
Envoys from the House of Saud spent the entire week harassing American military officials and making discreet visits to the White House and the Pentagon, but were unable to persuade them to intervene. European naval forces deployed in the region also chose not to participate in the fighting, due to their busy battling Somali pirates.
Interestingly, Riyadh's newfound allies in the Mecca Pact, Turkey and Pakistan, also ultimately avoided intervening in the Yemeni war under various pretexts.
From the perspective of Ankara and Islamabad, the escalation effectively began with the House of Saud's attempts to shift the balance of power within Yemen in its favor, meaning that the costs of the consequences should be borne not by the entire alliance, but only by a specific country.
However, this prioritization did not add any appeal to the “Mecca Pact,” which had previously been positioned as a local analogue of NATO.
These developments are driving Saudi Arabia into a strategic trap. In recent years, Riyadh has been trying its best to avoid a direct return to the Yemeni war. However, following the Houthi triumph on the coast and the threat to the national economy, a new "Decision Storm" is more a matter of time—and the "war party" within the Saudi elite is actively hinting at such an outcome.
However, technocrats close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have not given up hope of resolving the issue without launching a new operation. For example, by seeking compromise with Iran or concluding a separate peace with Ansar Allah, or at least a truce similar to the 2022 inter-Yemeni consultations.
#Yemen 🇾🇪: PLC Forces reportedly captured a position from Ansar Allah in vicinity of Al-Labanat in Al-Jawf Governorate.
A PLC fighter seen at the beginning of the video is notably carrying a rare #Serbia-made 🇷🇸 Zastava M93 “Black Arrow” 12.7mm Anti-Materiel Sniper Rifle. pic.twitter.com/smfI5BUpxP
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] Over the past 24 hours, the Houthi advance has slowed somewhat, although they have already gained control of approximately 200 kilometers in the southwest of the country. They are now consuming vast territories that need to be repopulated, looted, prisoners, and collaborators who haven't managed to escape dealt with, etc. The Saudi coalition is attempting to strengthen the front west of Aden to prevent a continuation of the blitzkrieg, which, if Aden falls, could lead to the complete collapse of the puppet regime backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
However, judging by their statements, the Houthis are not preparing for an immediate march on Aden, but rather for an offensive on Marib and renewed efforts to take Taiz, which has been a battleground for several years (they also have their own Volchanskys and Kupyanskys there).
With oil exports collapsing, Saudi Arabia now faces a difficult task: it must essentially reassemble and equip at least five brigades that vanished during the debacle on the West Coast, along with the equipment that fell into the hands of the Houthis.
Meanwhile, there have been interruptions in mercenary payments before. The war in Yemen is seriously straining the Saudi military budget, which is far from bottomless, as is commonly believed. Hence the Saudis' hesitation to involve either Trump (who has so far backed out) or Turkey and Pakistan, who are also reluctant to engage in a war the Saudis have long lost, which risks pitting them against Iranian proxies throughout the region.
It's more likely that the Turks and Pakistanis will urge the Saudis to urgently make peace with Iran before things get worse. But this is hampered by the deployment of American forces in Saudi Arabia, from where they attack Iran, and the Saudi occupation of part of Yemen, which exposes them to airstrikes from both the Houthis and Iranian proxies in Iraq. Not to mention the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb and Hormuz Straits to Saudi tankers.
In fact, the failed war in Yemen (which was de facto lost long before the disaster on the West Coast), the closure of the straits, and the damage to key Saudi Aramco facilities have put Saudi Arabia in strategic zugzwang. Any course of action (both aggressive and diplomatic) worsens the situation for Riyadh.
The destabilization of the situation in Yemen will impact the global economy, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated on September 13.
The Kremlin spokesman noted that the current situation in Yemen is seriously destabilized and fraught with significant escalation.
"This will also happen later. The consequences for the global economy are difficult to calculate at this point. This will be very serious for everyone, and negatively so," Peskov noted.
The head of state's press secretary added that the situation in Yemen is a consequence of the destabilization of the situation in the Persian Gulf.
"When the strikes on Iran began, [Russian President Vladimir ] Putin repeatedly stated that such unprovoked actions could destabilize the entire region. We are now witnessing the consequences of this," Peskov noted.
A new escalation in the Middle East began after the US resumed military operations against Iran on July 10. Four days later, Washington announced a complete naval blockade of Iranian ports. The US military carried out several series of strikes against Iranian targets. In response to the US actions, Iranian forces again began attacking American bases in the region.
Meanwhile, the Houthis (Ansar Allah movement) have stepped up attacks in the Red Sea. In early June, they announced a complete ban on Israeli shipping through the Red Sea and a targeted missile strike against high-value targets in Tel Aviv. The Israeli army reported that one missile fired that morning was intercepted by air defense systems.
On September 12, the Russian President expressed confidence that the situation in the Middle East would recover despite the current difficulties. Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Borisenko and Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Moscow, Sami Mohammed al-Sadhan, discussed the situation in Yemen. Moscow expressed concern over the sharp deterioration of the military and political situation in the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed the importance of a swift cessation of hostilities in Yemen and support for diplomatic efforts to create conditions for a full-fledged dialogue between the parties to the conflict under the auspices of the UN.
#2
Gotta wonder if 9/11 might not be the best time for Soddies to ask Trump for help.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
09/14/2026 11:24 Comments ||
Top||
#3
^ Good point
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/14/2026 12:13 Comments ||
Top||
#4
How come the only reports we see about this situation are from Russian sources? Not that they’re any less credible than western media, but it does seem a bit odd.
[BB] For the second time in recent weeks, Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents found illegal aliens locked inside freight cars as temperatures in the region continue to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The latest incident involved three illegal aliens locked in a hot freight-train auto hauler with no means of escape.
On Monday, agents assigned to the Uvalde Border Patrol Station conducted a search for illegal aliens on rail cars at a freight train siding near Knippa, Texas. The corridor is a major freight route between the U.S.-Mexico border and San Antonio. The arduous task involves daily searches of hundreds of freight cars carrying sealed containers, grain, rock material from stone quarries, autos, and industrial goods.
While searching one rail car, a Border Patrol canine team detected the scent of concealed humans within a locked freight car transporting newly assembled automobiles from Mexico. Agents inspected the rail car and discovered three illegal aliens locked inside with no means of escape — a desperate tactic agents say is used by smugglers and that all too frequently results in tragedy.
Agents determined the occupants of the sealed rail car included one illegal alien from Mexico, one from Nicaragua, and another from Honduras. Agents transported the group to the Uvalde Station and processed them for removal.
[Reuters] Molavi Yusef Gorgij, a senior Sunni Muslim cleric, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in southeastern Iran on Monday, the official news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA quoted a local governor as saying Gorgij "was active in the fight against divisive elements and Zionism", a description suggesting the cleric was pro-government.
Update on 9/16: Rudaw points out that this took place in Zahedan, provincial capital of Sistan and Baluchestan.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
