Pakistan says Saudi-led coalition in Yemen wants troops
Members of Pakistan's civil society chant slogans against the Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen, during a demonstration, in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, April 6, 2015. A Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen has asked Pakistan to contribute soldiers, Pakistan's defense minister said Monday, raising the possibility of a ground offensive in the country. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary) The Associated Press Members of Pakistan's civil society chant slogans against the Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen, during a demonstration, in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, April 6, 2015. A Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen has asked Pakistan to contribute soldiers, Pakistan's defense minister said Monday, raising the possibility of a ground offensive in the country. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)The Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen has asked Pakistan to contribute soldiers, Pakistan's defense minister said Monday, raising the possibility of a ground offensive in the country.Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif made the comments as Pakistan's parliament debates whether to contribute militarily to the campaign against the rebels, known as Houthis. Pakistan previously offered its verbal support for the mission, but hasn't offered any military assistance.Days of Saudi-led airstrikes have yet to halt the Houthi advance across Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, fuelling speculation that there could be a ground operation launched in Yemen. Saudi Arabia and other coalition members have not ruled it out.Saudi Arabia also asked for aircraft and naval ships to aid in the campaign, Asif said. He said Saudi officials made the request during his visit to Jeddah last week."I want to reiterate that this is Pakistan's pledge to protect Saudi Arabia's territorial integrity," Asif said. "If there's a need be, God willing, Pakistan will honor its commitment."The Saudi-led campaign entered its 12th day Monday, targeting the rebels who took over the capital, Sanaa, in September and eventually forced President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee. The rebels and allied forces are now making a push for Yemen's second-largest city, Aden, declared a temporary capital by Hadi before he fled abroad.The Saudi-led force also has blockaded Yemen by air and sea. Humanitarian groups, along with Russia at the U.N. Security Council, have called for a pause in the fighting to allow for aid to reach Yemen amid dwindling medical supplies and overstretched personnel.The International Committee for the Red Cross said despite days of negotiating with the Saudi-led coalition and others, an aid plane it dispatched is grounded in Djbouti and not allowed to fly."We are working to get another plane that can carry as much as possible. But it is a challenge because you cannot easily find airplanes or airlines that are allowed or willing to fly to Yemen," said Marie Claire Feghali, an ICRC spokeswoman in Sanaa.Also urgently needed, she said, is a clearance to allow a surgical team to arrive in Aden, where ground fighting is fiercest, from Djibouti by boat. That clearance has not yet been granted, she said."The hospitals are exhausted," she said. "The entire health system is under huge pressure."At least three Red Crescent volunteers were killed over the past week while evacuating wounded and retrieving dead bodies from the fighting in Aden and in the southern province of al-Dhale. ICRC called the killings deliberate in a statement Friday."There are dead bodies on the streets in Aden. This is why we called for 24-hour humanitarian pause in the fighting so that people can also go and collect the dead," Feghali said.Fighting also is intense in provinces surrounding Aden, as the Houthis and allied forces attempt to take over the city, its port and government offices to tighten their grip on power.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Pakistan says Saudi-led coalition in Yemen wants troops
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