It looks like the Pentagon is thinking of sending military aid to Yemen in the form of U.S. aircraft and ground vehicles.
According to Newser , the United States is looking into the possibility of sending military jets and other vehicles to the Yemeni government in order to facilitate their efforts in fighting terrorism. The aid would ostensibly be quite welcome in Yemen, which currently relies on Soviet-era helicopters and trucks.
Still, some officials worry that the move would amount to the United States taking sides in what is beginning to look like a civil war.
The LA Times quotes one official (who remained anonymous given the fact that the plan is not yet public) as saying that “this wasn’t an American idea. It was a Yemeni idea and one worth considering given our common fight against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,” and the same official added that “nothing’s been decided, and it may take some time before the Yemenis themselves sort out whether they need this kind of support or not.”
The plan does not yet have White House approval, and White House officials insist that this sort of aid is as far as the President is willing to go. U.S. officials insist that there are no plans to commit ground forces to Yemen, with the exception of some trainers and special operations groups.
So far it is unclear the exact number or nature of vehicles to be sent to Yemen (if at all), but U.S. military officials want to act quickly in order to capitalize on recent gains made by the Yemeni government in the conflict.
