AL MUKALLA, Yemen — As part of a renewed counter-terrorism effort in the region, the U.S. military now plans to keep a small force of Special Operations advisers in Yemen after previous efforts were shut down due to civil war.
Anonymous sources told The Washington Post that the two-dozen man team will assist troops from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who are seeking to track down militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the most potent AQ affiliate in the post Bin-Laden era.
The U.S. troops will be headed to the Yemini city of Mukalla, which has just been recaptured from AQAP by Yemini and Emirati forces. Official Pentagon spokesmen have declined to officially comment on the situation.
“We continue to urge all parties to deescalate the conflict,” Pentagon spokesman Christopher Sherwood wrote in an email to the Washington Post. “Our collective goal is to achieve lasting stability in Yemen through a negotiated political solution facilitated by the United Nations and involving all parties.”
The full, in-depth report can be read on The Washington Post‘s website linked here.
June 20th, 2016