Iran-Backed Militia Recently Removed From Terror List By Biden Storms U.S. Embassy In Yemen, Takes Hostages
on"The State Department is working to secure the release of several kidnapped hostages taken by Iran-backed terrorists."...
"The State Department is working to secure the release of several kidnapped hostages taken by Iran-backed terrorists."...
Footage on social media showed militiamen unveiling Saleh's body and celebrating his death....
The fighting in Yemen pits the Houthis and allied troops loyal to Saleh against southern separatists, local and tribal militias, Sunni Islamic militants and loyalists of exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, in September.Now, one U.S. Navy ship has become the target of a missile attack for the second time in four days.
...The attack was again aimed at the USS Mason, a guided-missile destroyer that also came under fire Sunday night, said Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook. The coastal defense cruise missile was launched at about 6 p.m. from south of the coastal city Al Hudaydah, in an area of western Yemen held by the Houthis. The rebel group pushed the central government out of power in the capital city of Sanaa in 2014, and has resisted U.S.-backed efforts by Saudi Arabia to restore President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to power.
Despite the destruction of much of their heavy weaponry, the Houthi militia and army forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh control most of the country's populated west and still daily attack Saudi territory with mortar fire or missiles. The possibility of a ground operation in support of the ragtag local groups still fighting the Houthis in Aden, Taiz, Marib and al-Dhala appears to have been discounted by the Saudis and their allies in an Arab coalition from early on.
Mr. Coombs, who lived in Sana, Yemen’s capital, was arrested by Houthi militiamen there in mid-May, and traveled to neighboring Oman on Monday. He was scheduled to undergo a medical evaluation there before flying home to Seattle, his mother, Jill Marie Hammill, said in a telephone interview. Ms. Hammill said she had received a call from the International Committee of the Red Cross early Monday saying that Mr. Coombs was at the Sana airport and was preparing to leave Yemen. She was able to speak to her son on Monday afternoon, after he arrived in Oman. “I cannot describe how happy I am,” she said. Mr. Coombs has written for publications including The Intercept, The American Prospect and Time magazine. The Obama administration has said a number of Americans have been detained by the Houthis, a Shiite rebel group that took control of Yemen’s capital and forced the United States-backed Yemeni government from power earlier this year.
The US, besides economically developed France, Germany and Sweden, besides 22 nations have sought India's assistance to evacuate its citizens from violence hit Yemen. An US government travel advisory for Yemen pointed out that India would offer its assistance to evacuate American citizens from Sanna to Djibouti. The US citizens have been advised to contact Indian diplomats in Embassy at Sanna for assistance for evacuation either by boat or air. This is significant considering the fact that the US has strong naval presence as well as deployment of its Air Force in West Asia. France also has presence of its Navy in the region to counter piracy.
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