US Withdraws All Personnel from Yemen
The United States has withdrawn all its personnel from Yemen, one day after suicide bombers killed at least 137 people at two mosques in the rebel-controlled capital, Sana’a.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement Saturday that the temporary relocation was due to “the deteriorating security situation in Yemen.”
About 100 U.S. special forces had been stationed at al-Anad air base in the south, from which the U.S. has launched drones against al-Qaida targets inside Yemen. The State Department said the U.S. would “continue to actively monitor terrorist threats emanating from Yemen and have capabilities postured in the area to address them.”
On Sunday, Shi’ite Houthi rebels seized the airport in the southern city of Taiz. Yemini security officials say the rebels were backed by supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Yemen Sunday.
