Yemen, Saudi-led coalition discuss combat readiness of troops

Aden: Yemen’s Defence Minister received a military delegation from the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the country’s southern port city of Aden, according to state media.

Mohsen Muhammad Al-Daeri, along with local Yemeni government officials, held a meeting with the high-ranking Saudi delegation on strengthening cooperation on the combat readiness of local pro-government armed forces, reports Xinhua news agency.

Al-Daeri thanked the Saudi-led coalition for “generous support” and for their commitment to “the legitimate government and the rights of the Yemeni people”.

For its part, the Saudi delegation, headed by Major General Hamid Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, affirmed the “steadfast and supportive position of the coalition towards Yemen’s people until ending the Houthis, restoring the state and achieving lasting peace”t.

Various regions in Yemen have witnessed sporadic armed confrontations between the local warring factions after a cease-fire brokered by the UN expired in October last year.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the government out of the capital Sanaa.