RIYADH: Saudi Arabian troops have been deployed to the Yemeni island of Socotra, the Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen said Sunday.
“Saudi forces have arrived on the island of Socotra… to train and support Yemeni forces,” the coalition announced through Al-Ekhbariya channel.
The deployment was said to have been coordinated with the Yemeni government.
Socotra has been spared involvement in the Yemeni conflict, which has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since March 2015 and triggered what the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The move comes after Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi praised the Arab coalition’s constant support for the legitimacy in Yemen and for the Yemeni people.
He also commended the coalition’s successes in fighting off the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
