ABU DHABI, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on Tuesday it would withdraw its remaining forces from Yemen due to safety concerns, rejecting allegations about its role in the ongoing developments there.
In a statement carried by the state-run Emirates News Agency, the UAE Ministry of Defence said recent developments in Yemen "could affect the safety and effectiveness of its counter-terrorism operations."
The ministry did not elaborate on when the withdrawal would take place.
In a separate statement on Tuesday, the UAE rejected any attempt to implicate it in tensions among Yemeni parties or claims that it had pressured any side to carry out military operations threatening Saudi Arabia's security or borders.
A Saudi-led coalition carried out an airstrike on Tuesday morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles unloaded at the port of Mukalla in Yemen's southeastern Hadramout province, the Saudi Press Agency reported, accusing the UAE of backing an offensive by Yemen's Southern Transitional Council, which seized swathes of territory in the provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahrah.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the shipment contained no weapons and that the vehicles unloaded were for UAE forces operating in Yemen, adding that there had been coordination with Saudi Arabia and that it was surprised by the airstrike.
Following the airstrike, Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi cancelled a joint defence agreement with the UAE and ordered all Emirati military forces to withdraw from the country within 24 hours. ■
