The US military has for the first time publicly acknowledged that US troops are operating inside
Yemen to help the country’s government and a Saudi-backed coalition confront al-Qaida affiliated forces.
Defense department spokesman Navy captain Jeff Davis said on Friday that a “very small number” of military personnel has in recent weeks been working with Yemeni and Arab Coalition forces to push al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fighters from the port city of Mukalla.
The Pentagon has stepped up air strikes against the jihadists in the war-torn country, Davis said.
“This is of great interest to us. It does not serve our interests to have a terrorist organization in charge of a port city, and so we are assisting in that,” the spokesman added.
He said the troops were helping Emirati forces with “intelligence support”, but declined to say if they are special operations forces.
Poverty is rife, thousands have died and children have joined the fighting – Yemen’s year of civil war has been a catastrophe While the number of US personnel on the ground is limited, the US is also offering an array of assistance to partners in
Yemen, including air-to-air refueling capabilities, surveillance, planning, maritime security and medical help.
The US Navy also has several ships nearby, including an amphibious assault ship called the USS Boxer and two destroyers.
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Originally Posted by Ransom
