Below is part of a very good update on the military inadequacy of the young Princes waging war in Yemen. The rest of the excellent economist article is here:
Saudi Arabia escalates its military campaign
THE start of this month could well come to be seen as the moment Yemen descended into a prolonged, uncontrollable war. The conflict in the desperately poor nation was already going horribly badly. But the Saudi-led coalition fighting the country’s Houthi rebels has now intensified its campaign, after 60 of its soldiers were killed in a single attack in Marib on September 4th.
Immediately afterwards the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which lost 45 men, vowed to be “steadfast” in the face of the largest loss suffered by its armed forces since the nation’s founding in 1971. Saudi Arabia dispatched more elite forces to join the 3,000-strong coalition force already on the ground, while Qatar, hitherto only participating in air operations, has sent 1,000 soldiers. Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa said his two sons will join the battle. Sudanese troops are reportedly waiting to be shipped out of Khartoum.
The coalition has since unleashed an unprecedented flurry of airstrikes in both the northern governorate of Saada, the stronghold of the Houthi rebels, and the country’s capital, Sana’a. Residents say as many civilian as military targets being hit, including houses, restaurants and main streets. “The coalition has gone wacko since the attack,” says Hassan Boucenine, who heads the Yemen office of Doctors without Borders, an NGO.
No comments:
Post a Comment