Local Editor

According to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, "Local militias backed by Saudi Arabia, special forces from the United Arab Emirates and al Qaeda militants all fought on the same side this week to wrest back control over most of Yemen’s second city, Aden, from... Houthi rebels, according to local residents and Houthi forces".

According to the Wall Street Journal, "...Saudi-backed militias are spearheading efforts to roll back Houthi gains and reinstate the government that the rebels drove into exile in neighboring Saudi Arabia. But they have turned to Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, for help, according to local residents and a senior Western diplomat", the Wall Street Journal said. 

"This puts the US-allied Gulf kingdom on the same side as one of the world’s most notorious extremist groups", the Journal said.

Saudi Arabia, the powerhouse which is spearheading the aggression in Yemen, has not commented on the development.

"As Yemen’s conflict degenerates into a precarious tangle of alliances, it poses a new quandary for the US. Yemen was a cornerstone of the American global ["]counterterrorism["] strategy until earlier this year when the Houthis drove out a government that was working with Washington. The US then backed a Saudi-led coalition that launched airstrikes against the Houthis in March", the Journal further said. 

"The AQAP militants are exploiting the chaos to expand across Yemen, according to Western officials...", it also said. 

"Although the US continues to conduct separate airstrikes targeting AQAP militants in Yemen, its plans to build a robust ["]counterterrorism["] force in the country to deny al Qaeda a haven have been wiped out. Yemen has been a staging ground for several global terrorist attacks", said the Wall Street Journal. 

It mentioned that, "...Saudi Arabia has supported radical ["]jihadist["] groups in past regional conflicts."

A Saudi-led coalition backed by the United States has been carrying out airstrikes against Yemen since March. The airstrikes have not been authorized by the UN.