“Politically instability in Yemen has not forced us to suspend counterterrorism operations,” Harf stated. “Although we have temporarily removed US government personnel from Yemen, we continue to actively monitor threats and have the resources prepared in the region to address them.”
The political and security situation in Yemen has deteriorated since January 2015, when the opposition Shiite Houthi fighters seized the presidential palace and government buildings in the capital Sanaa and forced President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the government to resign.
On February 11, the United States suspended work at the US Embassy in Sanaa, citing ongoing terrorist activities and civil unrest. Hadi escaped house arrest later in the month, fled to the southern port city of Aden and withdrew his resignation.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Jamal Benomar called on Sunday for a political solution to prevent the country from sliding into civil war, warning that Yemen could end up like Iraq, Syria or Libya.
Last week, a twin suicide explosion at two mosques in the capital killed at least 137 people. A Sunni militant group affiliated with Islamic State claimed responsibility for attacks targeting Houthi worshippers.
