The Hadhrami Elite Forces (HEF; Arabic: قوات النخبة الحضرمية, romanized: quwwā an-nukhba al-Ḥaḍramiyya) are special operations forces formed by the Arab coalition forces, under the supervision of the United Arab Emirates technical support and with funding from Saudi Arabia, to liberate the city of Mukalla from al-Qaeda.
[1] The Hadhrami Elite Forces consist of soldiers belonging to tribes who support legitimacy in exile as well as local recruits from Hadhramaut Governorate.
These forces are distinguished by the fact that they are formed from those belonging to Hadhramaut Governorate only, which means that Yemenis from other regions are not allowed to join them.
[2] The Hadhrami Elite Forces recruit both from the Interior (Wadis) and Coastal regions of Hadhramaut and as of 2023 they have an army of 7,000 Men.
[4] On April 24, 2016, the Hadhrami elite forces, supported by the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, took control of the city of Mukalla, the administrative capital of Hadramaut Governorate and the Hadhramaut region, from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.