Yemeni campaign to chase Qat users

The Yemeni military police on Wednesday chased members of the army and the police who use Qat while they are in their military service.

Military police patrols were centered at the entrances for selling Qat, a habit-forming stimulant that is usually chewed, where the presence of police and military men used to be rare.

Eyewitnesses said that the military policy resulted in the arrest of several soldiers and policemen in their civilian uniforms while trying to buy Qat while on duty, a matter which is considered a violation of presidential instructions.

In May, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced that he will personally abstain from consuming Qat, and he has recently given directives that provide for preventing army and police members from taking Qat during their military service.