May 13, 2018 - 10:42 AM
CAIRO - A Saudi military spokesman says that its troops have landed on the Yemeni island of Socotra, listed by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site and the focus of a dispute between Yemen and its ally the United Arab Emirates.
Turki al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Shiite rebels, says Sunday that the Saudi troops are on a training and support mission for Yemeni forces.
He adds that the Saudis, Emiratis and Yemenis will conduct joint training exercises in co-ordination with the Yemeni government.
The UAE is a major pillar in the Saudi-led coalition. But their alleged deployment of its troops to the island earlier this month without prior consultation with Yemen's exiled government stoked the ire of Yemeni locals.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018