UAE Announces Withdrawal of Its Military Units Deployed in Yemen

**Islamabad:** The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that it has **voluntarily concluded the mission of its counterterrorism units deployed in Yemen**.

According to the UAE’s official news agency WAM, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the decision was taken following a **comprehensive review in light of recent developments**. The statement noted that while the UAE had withdrawn the bulk of its forces from Yemen in 2019, **a limited number of specialized counterterrorism units had remained deployed**.

Earlier, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman **Rashad al-Alimi** announced the cancellation of the **joint defense agreement with the UAE**. Arab media reports quoted Al-Alimi as saying that **all UAE forces present in Yemen must leave the country within 24 hours**.

He also announced the imposition of a **complete air, land, and sea blockade** on all Yemeni ports and crossings for a period of **72 hours**.

According to media reports, these directives were issued at a time when the **Saudi-led military coalition carried out limited air operations in Yemen**, targeting the Mukalla port. The Saudi coalition stated that the operation was aimed at **foreign military support allegedly being provided to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC)**.

Subsequently, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement calling on the UAE to **withdraw its forces from Yemen within 24 hours**, in accordance with the Yemeni government’s demands, and to **immediately halt any military or financial support to any party**.