Emirates Secretly Sends Colombian Mercenaries to Yemen Fight
WASHINGTON — The United Arab Emirates has secretly dispatched hundreds of Colombian mercenaries to Yemen
to fight in that country’s raging conflict, adding a volatile new
element in a complex proxy war that has drawn in the United States and
Iran.
to fight in that country’s raging conflict, adding a volatile new
element in a complex proxy war that has drawn in the United States and
Iran.
It
is the first combat deployment for a foreign army that the Emirates has
quietly built in the desert over the past five years, according to
several people currently or formerly involved with the project. The
program was once managed by a private company connected to Erik Prince,
the founder of Blackwater Worldwide, but the people involved in the
effort said that his role ended several years ago and that it has since
been run by the Emirati military.
is the first combat deployment for a foreign army that the Emirates has
quietly built in the desert over the past five years, according to
several people currently or formerly involved with the project. The
program was once managed by a private company connected to Erik Prince,
the founder of Blackwater Worldwide, but the people involved in the
effort said that his role ended several years ago and that it has since
been run by the Emirati military.
The arrival in Yemen
of 450 Latin American troops — among them are also Panamanian,
Salvadoran and Chilean soldiers — adds to the chaotic stew of government
armies, armed tribes, terrorist networks and Yemeni militias currently
at war in the country. Earlier this year, a coalition of countries led
by Saudi Arabia, including the United States, began a military campaign
in Yemen against Houthi rebels who have pushed the Yemeni government out
of the capital, Sana.
of 450 Latin American troops — among them are also Panamanian,
Salvadoran and Chilean soldiers — adds to the chaotic stew of government
armies, armed tribes, terrorist networks and Yemeni militias currently
at war in the country. Earlier this year, a coalition of countries led
by Saudi Arabia, including the United States, began a military campaign
in Yemen against Houthi rebels who have pushed the Yemeni government out
of the capital, Sana.
At least 32 people were
killed when a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Sana, Yemen, in
September. Dozens have been killed in similar bombings over the last six
months, carried out by Sunni Islamic extremists targeting mosques where
Shiite Yemenis worship.
Credit
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
