Gulf States to Send Thousands More Troops Into Yemen

Saudis Announce 'Huge Reinforcement' Plans

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to send “huge reinforcements” into Yemen to conquer the remaining cities under the control of the Shi’ite Houthi forces, as they and other GCC member nations plan to send thousands more ground troops into the country to escalate the ongoing war.

Qatar is the first of the GCC nations talking numbers, announcing they are sending 1,000 ground troops into the country today, along with 30 Apache attack helicopters and 200 armored vehicles. Bahrain also talked up sending more troops.

The number of foreign troops in Yemen is not known at this time. The United Arab Emirates was the only one really talking about having troops there, but after Friday’s loss of 45 UAE troops, the Saudis revealed 10 of their ground troops were killed at the same site.

The pro-Saudi forces control parts of southern Yemen, including the “temporary” capital of Aden. The Houthis control virtually the entire north of the country, and while they are referred to as “rebels” by the GCC, the war is increasingly boiling down to a Houthi-led north versus a GCC-led south, with the country in a state of de facto separation.

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.