![One diplomat said the UAE withdrew 'a lot' of forces from Yemen over the last three weeks [File: Atta Kenare/AFP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2019/6/16/7b447cc8945e48b0b0a4ff7e15699c94_18.jpg)
The United Arab Emirates is scaling back its military presence in Yemen as US-Iran tensions threaten security closer to home, a news report says.
The UAE – a key member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen – has pulled troops from the southern port of Aden and its western coast where it has built up and armed local forces leading the battle against the Houthi rebels, diplomats told Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.
Three diplomats said Abu Dhabi preferred to have its forces and equipment on hand should tensionbetween the United States and Iran escalate further, after attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf and Tehran’s downing of an American drone last week.
It was unclear exactly how many troops had been drawn down.
A western diplomat said the UAE withdrew “a lot” of forces from Yemen over the last three weeks.
“It is true that there have been some troop movements … but it is not a redeployment from Yemen,” a senior Emirati official was quoted as saying. He added the UAE remains fully committed to the military coalition and “will not leave a vacuum” in Yemen.
The Saudi-Emirati alliance intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the government that was overthrown by the Houthis.
Global News 
Leave a comment