SANA’A (Dispatches) – The U.S. general in charge of American forces in the West Asia region has arrived in the United Arab Emirates after a string of Yemeni counterstrikes that caught Abu Dhabi off-guard.
Marine General Frank McKenzie, the head of the United States Central Command, traveled to the Emirates on Sunday ahead of the schedule, after Yemen’s defense forces carried out at least three rounds of retaliatory attacks against the UAE’s sensitive spots in the space of a single month.
“I think it’s a very worrisome time for UAE. They’re looking for support. We’re here to help them to provide that support,” McKenzie said shortly before landing in Abu Dhabi, Reuters reported.
According to Reuters, McKenzie’s visit is aimed at holding “talks [with the UAE] on efforts to bolster” the Persian Gulf state’s military following the Yemeni counteroffensives.
This is not the first time the U.S. is moving to boost the Emirates’ armed forces in the face of Yemeni reprisal.
Late last month, the United States said it had fired “Patriot interceptors” in support of the United Arab Emirates during the Yemeni defense forces’ most recent bout of retaliation against the UAE.
And earlier this month, the Pentagon announced a U.S. deployment of advanced F-22 fighter jets and a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Cole, to partner with the UAE navy ahead of a port call in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE is Saudi Arabia’s main partner in a 2015-present war that Riyadh and its allies have been waging against Yemen to change the impoverished country’s ruling structure.
The military campaign, which has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and turned the entire Yemen into the scene of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, enjoys American arms, logistical, and political support.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday that mental health services for Yemenis in the war-torn country are “very limited”.
“In Yemen, access to mental health services is very limited whilst the country is bombarded by conflict,” the UN agency said in a statement, Anadolu news agency reported.
According to Yemeni and UN reports, the mental health cases have increased in conflict-ravaged Yemen due to the ongoing fighting and difficult living conditions there.