A group of U.S. military forces, including Special Forces commandos, have evacuated an air base after al-Qaida seized a nearby city, Yemeni military and security officials said Saturday.
The officials said the troops were leaving the al-Annad air base near the southern city of al-Houta. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorized to discuss troop movements, did not say whether the troops left the country. U.S. officials declined to immediately comment Saturday.
There are about 100 American troops and Special Forces commandos believed to be at al-Annad. The base is where American and European military advisers help Yemen battle the country's local al-Qaida branch through drone strikes and logistical support.
Al-Qaida's local branch is considered by Washington to be the group's most dangerous offshoot. Al-Qaida militants took al-Houta on Friday.
The report of the evacuation comes a day after two mosques in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, were attacked by suicide bombers, killing at least 137 and wounding about 350 people.
Responsibility for Friday's bombings was claimed by an alleged Islamic State affiliate calling itself "Sanaa Province." In its claim of responsibility, the group warned of an "upcoming flood" of attacks targeting the Houthi rebels.
The claim could not be independently confirmed and did not give concrete proof of Islamic State involvement. In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the U.S. had seen no indications of an operational link between the Islamic State group and Friday's attacks.
No comments:
Post a Comment