ARAB GROUND TROOPS DEPLOYED IN S. YEMEN'S ADEN PROVINCE

Saudi soldiers march during Abdullah's Sword military drill in Hafar Al-Batin, near the border with Kuwait April 29, 2014 (Reuters / Faisal Al Nasser) — Saudi soldiers march during Abdullah’s Sword military drill in Hafar Al-Batin, near the border with Kuwait April 29, 2014 (Reuters / Faisal Al Nasser)

Aden, 15 Rajab 1436/4 May 2015 (MINA) – Some 30 soldiers belonging to the Saudi-led Arab coalition were deployed Saturday night in Yemen’s southern province Aden, local residents have said.

The soldiers reached the coast of Al-Buraiqeh district in the province by inflatable boats then headed into the city, residents told The Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

This is the first deployment of Arab ground troops in Yemen since Saudi Arabia and several Arab allies launched a military campaign against positions of the Shiite Houthi group across the country in late March.

Riyadh says the anti-Houthi campaign is in response to appeals by embattled President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi – currently in Riyadh – for help against the Shiite militia.

The Houthis, for their part, denounce the ongoing offensive as unwarranted “Saudi-American aggression” on Yemen. (T/P001/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)