WASHINGTON (AA) -- The U.S. has been forced to remove its forces from Yemen as the security in the country has deteriorated, the White House said Monday.
"U.S. officials had to relocate from Yemen because it's a dangerous country now," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "As of today, Yemen remains a dangerous country for extremists as well."
As a Houthi insurgency continues to rock the poor Arab country, the U.S. and Britain have pulled their troops from Yemen due to the deteriorating security situation there during the weekend.
"They (Houthis) undermine the efforts to achieve a political resolution to the situation by continuing to occupy government institutions and to take unilateral actions," said Earnst.
He added that the U.S. already had serious concerns about the destabilizing activity of the Houthis, but he noted the group’s recent unilateral action has turned the country into "a very dangerous place."
In a session during the weekend, the UN Security Council condemned the takeover of much of Yemen by the Houthis and expressed support for Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who managed to escape to the southern port city of Aden after the takeover of the capital of Sanaa by the Houthis.
Earnest also reiterated the U.S.’s position that Hadi is the legitimate president of Yemen.
The fractious Arab state has remained in a state of turmoil since pro-democracy protests forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 2012 after 33 years in power.
On Sunday, Houthi gunmen took control of the airport in the strategic central city of Taiz, in the latest sign of escalation.
The group’s advance came two days after twin suicide attacks on two Sanaa mosques frequented by Houthis killed more than 120 people.
The Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
