US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed his country's intention to designate Yemen's Shia rebel Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, as a foreign terrorist organization, the US Department of State has said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2021) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed his country's intention to designate Yemen's Shia rebel Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, as a foreign terrorist organization, the US Department of State has said.
Late on Sunday, the Reuters news agency said that the decision could be announced as early as Monday.
"The Department of State will notify Congress of my intent to designate Ansarallah - sometimes referred to as the Houthis - as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity, pursuant to Executive Order 13224," the department cited Pompeo in a press release, published on Sunday.
The press release stated that three leaders of the movement � Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al Hakim � will also be blacklisted.
"These designations will provide additional tools to confront terrorist activity and terrorism by Ansarallah, a deadly Iran-backed militia group in the Gulf region. The designations are intended to hold Ansarallah accountable for its terrorist acts, including cross-border attacks threatening civilian populations, infrastructure, and commercial shipping," the department added.
The step aims to advance efforts to make Yemen a peaceful, sovereign and united country "free from Iranian interference and at peace with its neighbors."
In mid-November, the Foreign Policy magazine reported, citing its diplomatic sources, that such a blacklisting of the movement by the Trump-led administration could disrupt international efforts to render assistance to Yemen and UN-brokered peace efforts, as the country has been gripped by the long-lasting devastating humanitarian crisis.
US coordinator for counterterrorism Nathan Sales stated then that the department did not "offer sneak previews of any designations actions that we might or might not be considering."
A civil war between the Yemeni government forces, led by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, and the Houthi movement has been ongoing since 2014. The Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict on the side of the government in 2015, after the rebels made significant gains during the early days of clashes. The movement controls the capital of Sanaa and large areas in northern and western Yemen.
