The brigades were originally in the former North Yemeni military since the early 1970s. After Yemen unified, these brigades saw intensive action in the
1994 civil war and continued to be an effective unit in the Yemeni military. The original Giants Forces are no longer officially present and have been broken up and distributed in different areas over the years. The current Giants Brigades are a relatively new force in Yemen. They emerged from the
Southern Resistance that fought the Houthis in the South at the beginning of the conflict in 2015. They have shown their military power during the
Al Hudaydah governorate offensive, where they have killed hundreds of Houthi militants. In May 2018 the militia alongside
Arab coalition forces took control of several pockets in
Taiz from the Houthis, in the fighting several Houthi fighters were killed and several pieces of their equipment were either damaged or destroyed. After taking control of the "Mocha Interception" in the city the militia alongside allied forces including other factions in the Joint Forces, the
Tihamah Resistance and
Yemeni National Resistance they began to advance towards the "Bara Junction" to cut the Houthis' supply lines. Although many members of the Giants Brigades are known to be
Salafists, most of them are first and foremost
southerners. In December 2021, the Giants announced it had sent troops to
Shabwa province "to liberate areas that fell into Houthi hands", driving out the rebels in just two weeks. They also seized southern areas of neighbouring
Marib province, where the rebels and loyalists have been engaged in a months-long
battles to seize its strategic capital city. After completing military operation Storm of the South the Southern Giants announced the redeployment of its forces after having "completed its mission" and that its troops remain on the frontlines ready to repel any Huthi attacks. On 7 April 2022, the Yemeni President
Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi issued an order dismissing Vice President
Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and delegating his powers to a newly formed
presidential council to lead the country through a transitional period. The leader of the Giants
Abdulrahman Abu Zara’a Al Muharrami is a member of this leadership council. ==References==