Yemen Civil War

Pentagon: US Not Involved in Yemen Hudaida military offensive

The Pentagon has denied that it is involved in the military offensive carried out by the Saudi-Emirati alliance against the Iranian-aligned Houthi militia in the Yemeni port city of Hudaida.

Speaking on Thursday, spokesman Major Adrian Galloway said Washington “does not command, accompany, or participate in counter-Houthi operations or any hostilities other than those authorized against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS,” referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).
“Our support to the coalition consists of aerial refueling to coalition aircraft and intelligence support to assist our partners in securing their borders from cross-border attacks from the Houthis,” Galloway continued.
He also said that US military support to its allies “is always geared towards mitigating noncombatant casualties.”
He stressed the importance of the port in delivering aid to alleviate the suffering of Yemenis, adding that the US supports the efforts of the UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffith to bring the Yemeni parties to the negotiating table.
Before the Saudi coalition against Yemen began in March 2015, Hudaida port used to funnel in at least 80 percent of Yemen’s imports, mostly food.
Now, two-thirds of Yemen’s population of 28 million is dependent on aid to survive, and 8 million of those are food insecure.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that his country was closely following the developments in Hudaida, but did not rule out the possibility of taking part in the offensive on Yemen’s third largest city.
He said he had contacted United Arab Emirates officials and talked about Washington’s desire to discuss “UAE security concerns” while maintaining the flow of humanitarian aid and goods through the important port.

Emirati troops supported by Saudi Apache attack helicopters are just six kilometers from the Hudaida airport and the aim of this offensive is to control the port as well as the airport.

They are seeking to avoid entering the city of 600,000. UN officials stated that an offensive in the city could cost 250,000 lives.

To read the entire article from Al Jazeera News, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia of Houthi rebels

Saudi Troops Join UAE on Socotra Island in Yemen

Saudi forces have landed on the island of Socotra for training exercises with the Yemeni troops according to Saudi military forces. Locals on the island protested last week the arrival of troops from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as their troops arrived without the invitation of the Yemeni government and since no Houthi rebels are in Socotra.

Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said on Sunday the Saudi soldiers are on a training and support mission with Yemeni forces.

Saudi, UAE, and Yemeni forces will conduct joint training exercises in coordination with the Yemeni government.

Protests broke out in Socotra last week as locals rejected the deployment of forces belonging to the UAE because there are no rebels on the island.
Demonstrators marched through the streets of Socotra’s capital, Hadibu, rejecting what they described as UAE intervention in the internal affairs of the province without seeking government approval.
“These forces are present in Socotra and al-Mahra in numbers that can’t be understood,” said Abdullah bin Issa al-Aafra of the Al-Mahra and Socotra People’s General Council.
The Emirati soldiers arrived on Thursday, forcing out Yemeni troops and taking over strategic locations, including the airport and the seaport.
Socotra, in the Indian Ocean, is located about 350km from the southern coast of Yemen.
Located just off the coast of Somalia with access to major shipping routes, Socotra is also a World Heritage Site known for its unique and pristine environment.
The UAE and the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi are allies in a war against the Houthi rebels.
Relations between the two have soured, however, because of the UAE’s expanding influence in southern Yemen, home to a resurgent separatist movement.
The UAE’s attempt to exert control over Socotra is seen by many as the latest move by the Gulf state to spread its influence well beyond its borders.

The UAE is building its influence in the area and is attempting to spread across the region, after taking Socotra, they are also building bases across the gulf in Eritrea in Assab, in Somaliland and also in Somalia in Bosaso without the blessing of the central government.

To read the entire article from Al Jazeera, click here:

Photo screenshot Al Jazeera video

Green Berets Helping Saudis Target Missile Sites in Yemen

Despite publicly stating that they are trying to stay out of the Saudi Arabia – Yemen conflict, the Pentagon is expanding their presence by sending Green Berets to help allied Saudi forces target and knock out Houthi missile sites.

Late in 2017, a team of Special Forces soldiers deployed to Saudi Arabia to aid the targeting of Houthi missile sites. The Houthi rebels are closely allied with Iran.

Details of the Green Beret operation, which has not been previously disclosed, were provided to The New York Times by U.S. officials and European diplomats.
They appear to contradict Pentagon statements that U.S. military assistance to the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen is limited to aircraft refueling, logistics and general intelligence sharing.
There is no indication that the U.S. commandos have crossed into Yemen as part of the mission.
But sending U.S. ground forces to the border is a marked escalation of Western assistance to target Houthi fighters who are deep in Yemen.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a member of the Armed Services Committee, on Thursday called the Green Berets mission a “purposeful blurring of lines between train-and-equip missions and combat.” He cited the report in The New York Times and called for a new congressional vote on the authorization for the use of military force, war-powers legislation used by three successive presidents in conflict zones around the world.
Beyond its years as a base for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has been convulsed by civil strife since 2014, when the Shiite Muslim rebels from the country’s north stormed the capital, Sanaa. The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, ousted the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, the main U.S. counterterrorism partner in Yemen.
In 2015, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia began bombing the Houthis, who have responded by firing missiles into the kingdom. Yet there is no evidence that the Houthis directly threaten the United States; they are a group with no operations outside Yemen and have not been classified by the U.S. government as a terrorist group.
The Green Berets, the Army’s Special Forces, deployed to the border in December, weeks after a ballistic missile fired from Yemen sailed close to Riyadh. The Saudi military said it intercepted the missile over the city’s international airport, a claim that was cast in doubt by an analysis of photos and videos of the strike. But it was enough for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to renew a long-standing request that the United States send troops to help the kingdom combat the Houthi threat.

The commander of the US Central Command, General Joseph Votel told Congress in March that the U.S. was authorized to help the Saudis protect their border through intelligence sharing, logistics support and through military advice. Just a few weeks ago the Armed Services Committee in the Senate was briefed that there are 50 U.S. personnel in Saudi Arabia and they are “largely helping on the ballistic-missile threat.”

To read the entire article from Seattle Times, click here:

File Photo Wikipedia of a Special Forces soldier targeting insurgents