WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — United Arab Emirates media reported on Thursday that the US military is backing the Yemeni troops advance against AQAP in Shabwa.
"Our role in this includes ISR, close air support, airstrikes, aerial refueling and a small number of people on the ground facilitating the flow of information," Davis told reporters.
The spokesperson noted that since February 28, the United States conducted more than 80 strikes against AQAP targets in Yemen.
Yemen has been engulfed in military conflict between the government troops headed by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebels, the country’s main opposition force, who are backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The crisis has had the result of a rise in terror organizations in the country, with al-Qaeda being the most notorious.
