Yemen

US and UK Close Yemen Embassies

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The American and British embassies in Yemen suspended operations and moved staffers out, and urged their citizens to leave the politically-unstable nation as well.

The move comes few days after Ansarullah revolutionaries issued the constitutional declaration in a bid to fill the power vacuum caused by the resignation of the President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his prime minister.

“The level of instability and ongoing threats in Yemen remain extremely concerning,” said a State Department travel warning issued Wednesday.US embassy in Yemen

The warning said an “ongoing risk of kidnapping” exists and the US government is worried about possible terrorist attacks on Americans and Western facilities.

However, there are no plans for a US government-sponsored evacuation of American citizens at this time, the State Department said.
“US government-facilitated evacuations occur only when no safe commercial alternatives exist,” it said.

The message from the British Foreign Office was similar. The security situation continues to deteriorate, it said, and “we now judge that our Embassy staff and premises are at increased risk.”
It too asked British nationals to leave immediately.

Ansarullah movement, also dubbed as Houthis, have liberated the capital Sanaa from operatives of al-Qaeda terrorist organization last September, and worked to restore security and stability in the attack-hit areas.

The powerful group issued on Friday the Constitutional Declaration, and the leader of Ansarullah Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi stressed on Tuesday that the move was necessary, responsible, and not against any party in the country.

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