The UAE has announced that it will withdraw its military personnel from Yemen, hours after Saudi Arabia struck its Yemeni allies and made a rare public condemnation of the UAE’s conduct in the country.
The Emirati defence ministry said in a statement that “in light of recent developments” it was announcing “the termination of the remaining counterterrorism personnel in Yemen of its own volition.”
The ministry said the UAE had participated in an Arab coalition supporting the internationally recognised government of Yemen since 2015.
It stated that while Abu Dhabi’s forces had largely concluded their role in 2019, specialised teams remained to work on “counterterrorism efforts” alongside international partners.
It added: “In light of the recent developments and the potential repercussions that may affect the safety and effectiveness of counterterrorism missions, the Ministry of Defense announces the termination of the remaining counterterrorism teams in Yemen at its own volition, in a manner that ensures the safety of its personnel, and in coordination with the relevant partners.”
On Tuesday morning, Saudi Arabia struck targets belonging to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the port of Mukalla. The STC is a UAE-backed group that seeks an independent south Yemen.
Riyadh said it targeted weapons and vehicles that had arrived in Mukalla on ships originating in Fujairah, a port city on the east coast of the UAE.
It added that the weapons “constituted an imminent threat”, and therefore Saudi-led forces conducted “limited air strikes” targeting shipments offloaded from two vessels.
A few hours after the strike, Riyadh published a strong statement criticising the UAE’s role in Yemen.
The Saudi foreign ministry said it was disappointed by actions taken by the UAE that were “pressuring” the STC to conduct military operations on Saudi Arabia’s southern border, in the Yemeni regions of Hadhramaut and al-Mahrah.
It said such actions were a threat to Saudi Arabia’s national security, and to the security and stability of Yemen and the wider region.
“The kingdom stresses that any threat to its national security is a red line,” it said. “[We] will not hesitate to take all necessary steps and measures to confront and neutralise any such threat.”
It marked the strongest statement made by the kingdom since the STC seized control of swathes of territory in southern Yemen earlier this month.
The UAE said it was “surprised” by the Saudi strike and that it rejected Riyadh’s account.
Abu Dhabi’s foreign ministry said the strike was carried out without consulting other member states of the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in the Yemeni war against the Houthis in 2015.
It said the targeted shipment was coordinated with Saudi Arabia and did not contain weapons, but rather vehicles intended for use by UAE forces in the country.
The UAE claimed Saudi Arabia’s statement contained “fundamental inaccuracies”.
“The UAE categorically rejects any attempt to implicate it in the tensions between Yemeni parties and condemns the allegations of pressuring or directing any Yemeni party to carry out military operations,” the Emirati foreign ministry said, before later announcing its withdrawal from Yemen.
After the Yemeni war and the takeover of the capital, Sanaa, and other areas in the north by the Houthis in 2014, the Aden-based STC has emerged as a key player among anti-Houthi elements.
Southern Yemen has for years been overseen by the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), an executive government body that includes the STC and initially had both Saudi and Emirati support.
However, the body has long been riddled with internal disagreements and jostling.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rashad al-Alimi, the head of the PLC, called for an immediate withdrawal of Emirati forces from Yemen and cancelled a joint defence agreement with the UAE.
Alsahimi, the STC official, said the PLC had “no mandate” to make such an announcement, and that its chair made a “unilateral decision… without any consensus from the other PLC members”.
The post UAE says troops to leave Yemen as Saudi Arabia pushes for withdrawal appeared first on Maktoob media.
