U.S. SAYS NO TROOPS IN NOR TO YEMEN

WASHINGTON, Feb. 01 (Saba) - The U.S. said on Sunday that there had
been no U.S. troops sent to Yemen, nor does it plan to send troops,
dismissing previous reports U.S. troops would arrive in the country
in weeks to speed the training of counterterror forces.

The announcement was made by head of the State Department bureau of
Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Fletman.

Days ago, reports surfaced the Pentagon was assigning more troops to
Yemen as part of a broad push to speed the training of the country's
counterterrorism forces and help the already forces in Yemen build
closer relationships with their Yemeni counterparts.

But there was no specific number given.

It is true that the U.S. is aiding Yemen to tackle al Qaeda, but the
aid to Yemen is different from the U.S. aid going to the Maghreb
countries, Feltman said.

The remarks were given during an interview with the London-based al
Hayat Newspaper, and Feltman also denied that U.S. troops were
involved in the war on terrorism in Yemen.

President Obama's view on this was clear and our aim remains that
the U.S. supports Yemen's efforts to tackle its problems.

On accusations that Iran supported the Houthi rebels in the far
north, the U.S. official said: We all know the fact that Iran plays
a negative part in the region, meddling in others' affairs and
funding terrorist groups.

The U.S. seriously takes reports about Iranian involvement in
Yemen's conflict, he concluded.

FR