The Pentagon has withdrawn the vast majority of the military personnel involved in Saudi Arabia’s war against Yemen, officials revealed today, saying there are now “fewer than five” troops inside Saudi Arabia participating in the operation, down from nearly 45 at the peak of America’s involvement.
The announcement comes at the end of a week of several high-profile incidents in which Saudi warplanes attacked and killed significant numbers of Yemeni civilians, including an attack on a school and the bombing of a Doctors Without Borders facility.
Pentagon officials, however, insist that the drawdown is unrelated to international concerns about civilian deaths, and that it “does not diminish US commitment to supporting Saudi-led military operations.” They added that a re-escalation was possible.
Saudi officials declined to directly comment on the report, saying the moving of US personnel had no impact on the war, and that they continue to enjoy extensive American support for their bombing campaign against northern Yemen.