Saturday, 21 March 2015

US troops 'withdraw from Yemen'


The US is withdrawing its military personal from a base in Yemen because of increasing insecurity there, sources say.

About 100 troops, including special forces commandos, are leaving al-Anad air base near the southern city of al-Houta, Yemeni officials said.

The city was stormed by al-Qaeda fighters on Friday, although they were later driven out by the Yemeni army.

The US military has not confirmed the evacuation.

It comes a day after suicide bombers killed at least 137 people in the capital Sanaa. Militants allied to Islamic State (IS) said they carried out the attack.

There are severe tensions between various powerful, armed elements in Yemen, including Houthi rebels, al-Qaeda and IS.
Driven back

US troops at the al-Anad air base have been training Yemeni fighters to launch attacks against al-Qaeda operatives.

On Friday, al-Qaeda fighters took control of the city of al-Houta, near to the airbase. But the militants were later driven back by the army.

The US closed its embassy in Sanaa in February after Houthi rebel forces took over the city.
The al-Hashoosh mosque in Sanaa. 20 March 2015 The al-Hashoosh mosque was badly damaged in an attack on Friday

In other developments, Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi has made his first television address since fleeing Sanaa last month, after Houthi rebels took over the city and put him under house arrest.

He demanded that Houthi rebels withdraw from the capital city but also urged all parties to engage in peace talks.

Yemen is the base of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a powerful offshoot of the jihadist militant group.

However, IS is also gaining ground in the country, after setting up a base in Yemen in November,

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