Washington, Jan 11 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that he would notify Congress of his intent to declare Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity”.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Pompeo also said that he intended to designate three leaders of the militia, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi and Abdullah Yahya al Hakim, as SDGTs.
“These designations will provide additional tools to confront terrorist activity and terrorism” carried out by the group, he said.
“The designations are also intended to advance efforts to achieve a peaceful, sovereign, and united Yemen that is both free from Iranian interference and at peace with its neighbours.
“Progress in addressing Yemen’s instability can only be made when those responsible for obstructing peace are held accountable for their actions,” the Secretary of State was quoted as further saying in the statement.
The Houthi militia has intensified attacks on the Yemeni government-held cities in the past year that killed and injured hundreds of people, according to the government of the war-torn country.
Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Houthi rebels seized control of northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in 2015 to support Hadi’s government
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