Yemeni
southern separatists inspect the site of UAE airstrikes near Aden, Yemen,
August 30, 2019. (Photo by AP)
Source: Press TV
US,
British troops in Aden, more to arrive in Yemen strategic areas: Reports
The
Emirati-backed separatists in southern Yemen say hundreds of US and British
forces have arrived in the port city of Aden as the first batch of a large
military force that Washington and London seek to deploy to the Arab country’s
resource-rich areas under the guise of fighting terrorism.
According
to Fadi al-Murshidi, media official of the so-called Southern Transitional
Council (STC), some 450 US and British soldiers arrived in Aden, al-Masa press
reported.
Murshidi
said that Washington and London — staunch backers of the Saudi regime’s war on
Yemen — plan to deploy 3,000 troops in Aden, al-Anad base in Lahj province,
Socotra Island in the Arabian Sea, Hadhramaut, Mahrah and Shabwah provinces,
under the pretext of combating terrorism.
Local
media reported that a US force consisted of 110 soldiers reinforced by 10 Black
Hawk aircraft, 30 Harvey armored vehicles, four Patriot air defense systems and
an integrated field operations room had reached the coast of Balhaf in the
oil-producing Shabwa province.
Two
US warships docked at Balhaf, Yemen’s main liquefied natural gas (LNG) export
port, according to southern local media.
Military
experts say Washington's intensified moves in Yemen’s southern provinces are
aimed at preparing for a possible military intervention and establishment of
military bases in the country.
Some
analysts say the moves indicate Washington’s intention to plunder the country’s
oil resources.
The
presence of US forces in Yemen comes as Washington has begun withdrawing troops
from Afghanistan and apparently plans to transfer them to another territory
rich in natural resources.
Both
the UAE-backed separatists and the militants loyal to the former Saudi-allied
Yemeni government serve the Riyadh-led coalition, which has been engaged, since
2015, in a bloody military campaign against Yemen aimed at reinstating
ex-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who resigned in 2014 and later fled to the
Saudi capital.
Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have purchased billions of dollars’ worth
of weapons from the United States, France and the United Kingdom in the war on
Yemen.
Despite
all the firm support from the West, the Saudi regime and its coalition allies
have achieved none of the long-drawn-out war’s objectives thanks to stiff
resistance by Yemen’s armed forces — led by the Houthi Ansarullah movement.
The
reported American and British deployment comes as Yemen’s armed forces — led by
the Houthi Ansarullah movement — have been making more gains against pro-Saudi
militants on several fronts.
Angered
by the gains, the Saudi-led coalition has stepped up its airstrikes against
civilian targets in different area of Yemen.
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