KHUBAH - They have tattoos, are as young as 16, carry weapons slung over their shoulders and wear black clothes and black turbans. This is the way Saudi nationals have described some of the Yemeni infiltrators who have been fighting with Saudi forces along the border. Some Saudi eyewitnesses, who live in the village of Al-Ghaweah, about 10 km from Al-Khubah's restricted zone, said that they saw “strange” tattoos on the bodies of the infiltrators. “I have seen an infiltrator with a strange tattoo at the top of his spine. They use it as a mark to recognize each other” said Majed Hazazy, a Saudi citizen living in Al-Ghaweah village close to the border. Saudi Gazette has learnt that the tattoo, two upright green lines, is a mark of tribe of the infiltrators who live in the Harf Sufyan and Saaba area in Yemen, close to the Saudi border. This is one type of tattoo used by tribes in the mountainous region to distinguish themselves from other tribes, Saudi Gazette has learnt. Ali Alqaieman, a Saudi citizen living at the Al-Magroob village about 35km from the Yemeni border, said he met some of the infiltrators while driving to the Abu Al-Radeef market close to his village. “They were still young, about 16 to 18 years old. They were dressed in dark clothes. One had a grey T-shirt with black belt and trousers. They had weapons hanging from their shoulders,” he said. They dress in black so that they can hide from Saudi forces at night, he said. “Once I saw them near my home I decided to call the police. Fortunately, they were arrested quickly at the Abu Al-Radeef market,” he said. “People in Jizan know them well because they used to trade with Yemeni citizens,” said Mohammed Ali, a Saudi citizen living in Al-Mazabarat village. He also claimed that the infiltrators are smuggling Qat into the Kingdom. Qat is a plant and its leaves are chewed for its narcotic effect. It is banned in the Kingdom. Ahmed Kaaby, a Saudi citizen, who has a farm in the Al-Mazabarat village, said that the infiltrators are skillful at using their surroundings to hide from Saudi forces. “They have invented a new dress made up of the leaves of trees and bushes in order to hide themselves.”
