Ministry of defense warns protesters from joining defected army

By Nasser Arrabyee 14/08/2011

The Yemeni ministry of defense warned jobless young people from joining army units led by the defected general Ali Muhsen who supports the anti-government protests.

The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that those recruited in the first armored division (FAD) will be illegal.

"Recruitments in the first armored division are outside the law," said the statement.

About 25 percent of the young protesters , camped out at the gate of Sanaa university since February this year, have already joined the first armored division of general Ali Muhsen said military sources inside the FAD.

The FAD headquarters is located in the area of Sanaa university where tents of the protesters are extended in the area between the two gates of university and FAD.

The majority of those already recruited were students in the religious university of Al Eman which is also located in the same area.

Al Eman university is owned and run by the cleric Abdul Majid Al Zandani,who is wanted by UN and US as a global terrorist.

The general Muhsen and Shiekh Al Zandani have been allies since late 1980s when they worked together for sending young people to Afghanistan for fighting the Soviet Union.

"We accepted every willing student from Al Eman university first, and then we accepted other young people," said an officer working in the personnel department of FAD.

" About 25 per cent of those youth camping out around our headquarters have recruited since March," said the officer who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The officer confirmed that all those newly recruited are already working and participating in defending their colleagues, the anti-government protesters.

And they get paid monthly but not from the budget of the ministry of defense.

"the salaries of all those come from the credits of FAD, the ministry pays only for those approved by it," said the officer.

The salary they get is 50 per cent less than their counterparts in the army.

The FAD can not pay those individuals who defected from loyal units like central security and republican guards.

The ministry of defense cuts their salaries as soon as they quit their job.

However, those who defect from FAD are paid immediately as soon as they get to the camps of the republican guards.

To encourage more detections from FAD, the personal weapons of those who defect become their own possession and their salary is immediately transferred from pay roll of FAD to the republican guards, the highly qualified and trained units led by President Saleh's son, Ahmed.