Qatar has deployed 1,000 soldiers into Yemen to help the Saudi-led coalition combat Iran-backed Houthi militants and those aligned with former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, as part of a continuing quest to push out the opposition forces and reinstall the internationally-recognized government in Sanaa.
The Qatari brigade will be stationed in Marib province, the Doha-based Al Jazeera reported Monday. The troops will receive heavy support from both the ground and air, as they are being accompanied by over 200 armored vehicles and 30 Apache helicopters.
The Qatari reinforcements come following a massive Houthi attack against Sunni forces stationed in Yemen. On Friday, the rebel militants killed 45 UAE soldiers, along with 10 Saudi troops, five Bahrainis, and four Yemeni units. Bahrain has responded by announcing that they will be more engaged in the conflict, adding two members of the royal family as part of a bolster of assistance to the coalition.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed said following the devastating loses: “Our revenge shall not take long… We will press ahead until we purge Yemen of the scum.”
An official confirmed with AFP that Qatari forces are indeed “ready to fight” in Yemen.
“We have sent troops who will be deployed along with Saudi troops,” the unnamed official said. “They are at the Saudi/Yemen border, they have not entered Yemen. They should be entering Yemen in the next few days.” The source added that the troops are well-armed and ready to join the Sunni-coalition’s battle for Yemen immediately.
The ongoing conflict in Yemen has taken the lives of almost 5,000 people, according to the UN, which also warns that the country is facing an imminent famine.