UAE withdraws 'large' number of troops from Yemen

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has withdrawn large numbers of troops from the embattled country of Yemen.

The withdrawal took place because Abu Dhabi wanted to have forces and equipment "on hand" following recent tensions in the Persian Gulf region, Reuters cited four unnamed Western diplomats as saying on Friday.

Speaking of the recent tensions and the UAE withdrawal, one Western diplomat said the Arab country had effectively withdrawn "a lot" of its forces in the past three weeks.

However, confirming only "some troop movements" from Yemen, an unnamed senior Emirati official claimed that Abu Dhabi was not seeking to withdraw from the country and was committed to the Saudi-led military "coalition".

The official declined to provide further information on the number and location of the troop movements.

The troop withdrawal comes as the Saudi-led coalition has recently come under much pressure from Yemen's Houthi movement and armed forces.

In the past two months, the Yemeni forces have launched an array of missile and drone attacks on vital Saudi facilities, including oil installations, airports and air defense batteries in response to incessant Saudi-led strikes on the country.

SS