WASHINGTON (AP) – The hasty maritime departure of Yemen’s US.-backed president on Wednesday illustrates how completely one of the most important American counterterrorism efforts has disintegrated.
It also raises the prospect of a deeply destabilizing proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Driven weeks ago from the capital by Shiite rebels, President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi (HAD’-ee) abandoned the country, leaving from the southern port city of Aden on a boat. His departure comes as rebels were advancing toward his position.
Three years ago, American officials hailed Hadi’s ascension to power. Now, U.S. officials acknowledge their efforts against Yemen’s dangerous al-Qaida affiliate are seriously hampered.
Beyond terrorism, the latest developments in Yemen have worrisome implications for a Middle East already wracked by Sunni-Shia conflict.