Aden, Dhu-AlQa'dah 22, 1438, August 14, 2017, SPA -- The Yemeni Ministry of Awqaf and Guidance confirmed that the militia of the coupists had obstructed the departure of thousands of pilgrims in their areas of control to the holy sites to perform the rituals of Hajj this year. Mukhtar al-Rabash, the undersecretary of the ministry for Hajj and Umrah sector, said that the militia had detained passports of more than 2,000 pilgrims and obstructed the departure of hundreds of others. Al-Rabash said in a statement carried by the official Yemeni news agency that the checkpoints of the coup militia confiscated the passports of many pilgrims and hindered the departure of others to the port of Wadiah of Hadramout province. The Yemeni official condemned the practices carried out by the militia of the coup against the pilgrims. --SPA 02:26 LOCAL TIME 23:26 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w465574