The Daesh terrorist group has openly confirmed that its members are fighting alongside Saudi-backed mercenaries against Yemen’s army and forces from popular committees in the province of Ma’rib.
Over the past few weeks, Ma'rib has been the scene of major operations by Yemeni forces pushing hard to recapture it from forces loyal to the former Saudi-backed government.
Daesh issued a short statement on Wednesday, saying it has carried out operations against Yemen’s Ansarullah forces in Ma’rib province, killing and wounding a number of the movement’s forces.
The new development came after Ansarullah forces and their allies in the Yemeni army launched a major offensive to retake Ma’rib, which is considered as the last stronghold of Saudi-backed forces in northern Yemen.
Their advances have raised concerns in the Saudi-led coalition and their allies, including the US. On Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Ned Price called on Ansarullah to halt its offensive and end retaliatory strikes on Saudi Arabia.
The movement says the call proves US support for terrorist elements in Ma'rib.