Exlusive| The Reference reveals names of captured Daesh leaders in Yemen

Ahmed Sultan

Arab coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said in a Wednesday statement that Saudi and Yemeni special forces captured the leader of Daesh in Yemen.

Abu Osama Al-Muhajir was seized during an operation on June 3 along with a Daesh financial officer and a number of other members of the organization.

The arrests were made at a house that had been put under surveillance, according to the statement. Three women and three children were in the house at the time.

The operation took around 10 minutes and the forces managed to keep the women and children were unharmed.

“The operation was successful in capturing the terrorists and ensuring the safety of the women and children inside the house,” Col. Al Malki said.

Saudi helicopters and parachutes decided to approach the house and deploy special troops to raid Al-Muhajir’s hideout.

The coalition further stressed its adherence to taking the necessary precautions to protect civilians during its operations.

The Reference was able to claim the names of the Daesh leaders who were caught despite being not included in the coalition’s statement.

Sources said to The Reference that Abu Osama Al-Muhajir’s real name is Mohamed Kanaan Al-Siyari, who was appointed by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi himself as the emir of the organization in Yemen.

His deputy, known as Radwan Qannaf, was in charge of the organization’s military affairs and one of the members supervising terrorist operations in Yemen’s Qifa.

Sources also added that financial officer is known as Khaled Al-Marfadi. He was responsible for all the financial operations and management of the organization’s funds in Yemen.

The Arab coalition, which includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE, is fighting in support of the official government against the Iran-backed Houthi militia that seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.

The coalition has also been working with Yemeni forces to combat extremist groups in the south.