US general rushes to UAE to help it face up to Yemen counterstrikes
The US general in charge of American forces in the West Asia region has arrived in the United Arab Emirates after a string of Yemeni counterstrikes that caught Abu Dhabi off-guard.
Marine General Frank McKenzie, the head of the United States Central Command, traveled to the Emirates on Sunday ahead of the schedule, after Yemen’s defense forces carried out at least three rounds of retaliatory attacks against the UAE’s sensitive spots in the space of a single month.
"I think it's a very worrisome time for UAE. They're looking for support. We're here to help them to provide that support," McKenzie said shortly before landing in Abu Dhabi, Reuters reported.
The UAE is Saudi Arabia's main partner in a 2015-present war that Riyadh and its allies have been waging against Yemen to change the impoverished country's ruling structure.
The military campaign, which has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and turned the entire Yemen into the scene of the world's worst humanitarian crisis, enjoys American arms, logistical, and political support.
The Yemeni forces that feature the army and its allied fighters from the Popular Committees have, however, vowed not to lay down their arms until the country's complete liberation from the scourge of the Saudi-led and US-backed invasion.
According to Reuters, McKenzie’s visit is aimed at holding “talks [with the UAE] on efforts to bolster” the Persian Gulf state's military following the Yemeni counteroffensives.
This is not the first time the US is moving to boost the Emirates’ armed forces in the face of Yemeni reprisal.
Late last month, the United States said it had fired “Patriot interceptors” in support of the United Arab Emirates during the Yemeni defense forces’ most recent bout of retaliation against the UAE.
And earlier this month, the Pentagon announced a US deployment of advanced F-22 fighter jets and a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Cole, to partner with the UAE navy ahead of a port call in Abu Dhabi.
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