SANA'A, Sept. 3 -- Residents of Al-Qatan city in Hadramout governorate are demanding from the government removal of the Special Security Forces camp from the city. These demands follow recurring clashes between the army and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) that have spilled over to neighboring residential areas.

Tribal leaders in Al-Qatan held a meeting on Tuesday, August 28, that ended with the signing of a statement demanding the removal of the camp from the city in order to keep the nearby residents safe.

According to Radhi Subaih, a Hadramout-based journalist , the statement was also signed by residents, who cited the physical and psychological damages which they endured due to the clashes between the army and AQAP.

"Al-Qatan residents demanded the camp to be moved outside the city after noticing an increase in displaced people from the area around the Special Security Forces camp," said Subaih. The Special Security Forces are run directly by the Ministry of Interior.

Gunfire and mortar shells have hit houses and sometimes the battles between government forces and militants move into the residential neighborhoods. Mohammad Al-Sharafi, another Hadramout-based journalist, told the Yemen Times last week that "many homes near the camp have been damaged due to the clashes and bombings" and that "citizens near the camp have begun to worry, waiting for the next attack, or have moved elsewhere."

Thursday was not the first time residents have called for the camp to be moved. The demand was also made by the Hadramout Tribes Alliance, an anti-government tribal alliance which was formed after a tribal leader was killed on Dec. 20, 2013 when refusing to stop at a security checkpoint for a routine check.

President Hadi did approve the alliance's demand at the time but to date all military camps have not been removed from within city limits in Hadramout.

Abu Hammam, a member of the Hadramout Tribes Alliance, said that the alliance is maintaining its position on removing the camps from the cities, including the Special Security Forces camp in Al-Qatan.

Jamal Al-Qeiz, the head of the Security Department in the Ministry of Defense, said "the current situation in the country does not allow for camps to be moved out of cities, especially in dangerous places such as Hadramout," adding that AQAP militants are monitoring all the army's movements, which adds to the difficulty of changing the camps locations.

Ahmed Obaid, a retired security expert from the Ministry of Defense, thinks otherwise, "The camps should be located outside cities to protect them. What is needed inside the cities is police stations," he said.

"Having camps inside cities does not only harm citizens but also the army forces, because the camp will not be able to protect the city properly," he added. "It is easy to attack camps when they are located in heavily populated areas inside cities, because the forces will not be able to monitor the area around it."

The most recent attack on the Special Security Forces camp in Al-Qatan was on August 30, resulting in the death of one soldier and five armed men suspected of belonging to AQAP.

Several other attacks occurred in Al-Qatan throughout August, many of which AQAP claimed responsibility for. The majority of these attacks targeted the Special Security Forces camp, which is located in the middle of the city.

© Yemen Times 2014