In Yemen, Houthi chanter becomes military commander

Abdulazim Ezzeddine who used to be a religious chanter in Yemen is now a Houthi colonel.

Ezzeddine, who was the Houthi’s favorite chanter, became a colonel overnight, triggering many to take to social media to mock him and the Houthis.

Another example of swift military recruitments is the case of Abdulhakim al-Khaywani, who is believed to have been an unemployed man from Saada but now has more medals than the militias’ minister of interior.

The situation is quite similar to how Iraq’s Popular Mobilization forces came together, following sectarian fatwas (religious edicts) which allowed criminals to be recruited and include them within their ranks.

Aws al-Khafaji, for instance, is a former Shiite cleric who is now a commander in the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces which are accused of committing atrocities in Iraq and Syria.

Another example is a man dubbed as Abu Azrael, an unemployed man with no military skills who later became an extremist field commander.

He was named the Angel of Death due to his crimes and violations of human rights.