Special to WorldTribune.com
WASHINGTON — The United States has been preparing to evacuate its diplomats and troops from Yemen.
Officials said the Defense Department has ordered the deployment of ships to rescue an estimated 1,000 U.S. personnel from Yemen. They said two U.S. Navy warships were already on standby in the Red Sea close to the Gulf Arab state.
“We are continuing to closely monitor the situation in Yemen,” Pentagon spokesman Steve Warren said.
In a briefing on Jan. 21, Warren did not provide details of the U.S. military presence in Yemen. The spokesman, however, said the U.S. military was capable of stopping any Shi’ite assault around Sanaa.
“The unrest in Yemen is a concern overall,” Warren said.
Officials said the U.S. embassy has been alert amid the Shi’ite rebel takeover of the Yemeni government. The Iranian-sponsored Ansar Allah has seized the presidential palace, government buildings as well as most major military units around Sanaa.
“The [USS] Iwo Jima and [USS] Fort McHenry are on station, and between those two warships, there’s enough combat power to respond to whatever contingency may come up,” Warren said.
U.S. deploys 2 warships to ‘monitor’ Yemen, evacuate Americans added by World Tribune on
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