UAE shifts course in Yemen
By cutting back its forces in Yemen, the UAE seeks to evade the material, humanitarian and moral consequences of the war all the while counting on its local agents to implement the UAE agenda in the country.
BEIRUT — The United Arab Emirates is now implementing its plan to scale back troops in Yemen, a move it first announced June 28 as part of a strategic and tactical redeployment plan.
The UAE completely withdrew from Marib in northeastern Yemen July 4 and handed over Zuqar Island on the west coast to loyal Yemeni forces. Meanwhile, it cut back its forces in the port of Aden.
The UAE further placed its loyal Yemeni forces — around 90,000 troops — under unified command. On the western coastal front, the UAE placed forces under the unified command of Republican Guard commander Tariq Saleh, the son of late President Ali Abdullah Saleh's brother. In the south, the UAE placed Security Belt soldiers and military elites under the command of the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
Both the STC and the Republican Guard, which are supported by the UAE, do not recognize the legitimacy of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s government.
