Saudi Arabia redeploying Yemeni mercenaries to Iraqi border

Saudi Arabia redeploying Yemeni mercenaries to Iraqi border

An official source in the so-called Hadi government said on Wednesday that the Saudi-led coalition has begun moving Yemeni military factions to the Saudi border with Iraq, in conjunction with the start of diplomatic consultations in Riyadh.

Anis Mansour, a consultant at Hadi’s embassy in Riyadh said that coalition forces have already begun moving Yemeni units from camps at the al-Wadea port to the Saudi border with Iraq.

The objective of this move apparently is to “defend Saudi territory” there.

Mansour warned of the repercussions of this move, which aims to turn Yemeni troops into mercenaries for Saudi Arabia to use however Riyadh sees fit.

It was not known whether the new Saudi move was part of a move to dismantle Hadi’s forces and Islah-affiliated factions, which could theoretically pave the way for the deployment of new forces represented by mercenary leader Tariq Saleh.