KHOBA: A top Saudi defense official said Wednesday that Yemeni infiltrators were chased out of the Kingdom and did not pull out voluntarily as they claim.
“They did not withdraw. They have been forced out,” said Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs.
Prince Khaled’s statement was the first response from a senior Saudi official after Yemeni rebel leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi announced Monday the voluntary withdrawal of his fighters.
Speaking in Khoba, the scene of recent fighting, Khaled set three conditions to accept the truce offer. He said the fighters should withdraw, the six missing Saudi soldiers should be returned and the infiltrators must have to pull back to create a 10-km buffer zone inside Yemen secured by the Yemeni Army.
“If they meet these conditions, we can then say this is an internal issue and the matter will go back to the Yemeni government to deal with it as it wishes,” the prince said.
A senior Saudi military official said Saudi Arabia was no longer exchanging heavy fire with the infiltrators. “Since last night there has been no exchange of fire and we did not have any engagement with the infiltrators,” Maj. Gen. Said Al-Ghamdi, commander of first paratrooper brigade, said.
Prince Khaled disclosed that Saudi forces had detained 1,500 Yemenis during the three-month fighting. He said that 109 Saudi soldiers were killed, including seven “in the last several days,” adding that Riyadh believes six soldiers are still being held by the rebels.
Speaking about the cease-fire offer, Prince Khaled voiced his doubts about the infiltrators good intentions.
“We have to look at history. This group fought with the Yemeni government five times and reached agreements five times, but every time they violated the agreement. If they are serious, they have to withdraw all their fighters including snipers,” the prince said.
Prince Khaled said Saudi Arabia was ready to cease fire if the infiltrators withdrew completely and handed over Saudi captives.
“The captives we have include Somalis and Eritreans,” he said, adding that the infiltrators received weapons from foreign parties. “We believe they have received strong foreign support,” he said.
Prince Khaled said there is good coordination between the Saudi and Yemeni governments in dealing with the intruders. “All of what we are doing is with the knowledge of the Yemeni government,” he added.
He said no foreign troops were involved in the fight. “We have not even consulted foreign military experts. It is a war led by the Saudi leadership,” he said. “We don’t negotiate with intruders and we don’t deal with them except through the Yemeni government.”
Asked about plans to establish a military city along the southern border, Prince Khaled said: “The crown prince has given importance to this subject. Building military units and housing for soldiers is very important.”
