Yemeni General Claims Thousands of Troops Support Saudis

Says Northeastern Border Troops Loyal to Former Govt

Brigadier General Abdulrahman al-Halily has announced his support for the Saudi forces currently attacking Yemen, and local officials claim he also speaks for several thousand troops along the northeastern Yemeni border with Saudi Arabia.

The Yemeni military is divided along several lines at this point, with some supporting former President Hadi, who resigned in January and is backing the Saudi invasion, while other factions back the Shi’ite Houthis, and still others are loyal to former President Saleh, who Hadi replaced back in early 2012.

Hadi, a former general, struggled to get support of commanders during his brief rule, but is now claiming some 15,000 troops, mostly either in the far north or far south, are supporting his eventual return to power through Saudi military force.

The Saudi government has been launching airstrikes against Yemen since earlier this month, and has massed a large number of ground troops for an invasion aimed at reinstalling Hadi.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.