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