US to remove Yemen’s Houthis from terror list next week: State Department
The United States will officially remove the Iran-backed Houthi militia from its list of terrorist organizations next week, a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday.
“Effective February 16, I am revoking the designations of Ansarallah, sometimes referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended,” Blinken said.
The US official said the decision came as a result of the “dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
“The revocations are intended to ensure that relevant US policies do not impede assistance to those already suffering what has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” Blinken added.
Washington hopes that the move will encourage warring sides to engage in dialogue.
But the Houthis continue to carry out malign activity, Blinken said. This includes taking control of large areas of Yemen by force, attacking US partners in the Gulf, kidnapping and torturing citizens of the US and many of its allies, diverting humanitarian aid and brutally repressing Yemenis in areas they control.
Nevertheless, Blinken said the US would continue to designate individuals that launch missile attacks into Saudi Arabia.
“Actions and intransigence” by the Houthis prolongs the war in Yemen and “exact serious humanitarian costs,” he said.
*Al Arabiya
The United States will officially remove the Iran-backed Houthi militia from its list of terrorist organizations next week, a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday.
“Effective February 16, I am revoking the designations of Ansarallah, sometimes referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended,” Blinken said.
The US official said the decision came as a result of the “dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
“The revocations are intended to ensure that relevant US policies do not impede assistance to those already suffering what has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” Blinken added.
Washington hopes that the move will encourage warring sides to engage in dialogue.
But the Houthis continue to carry out malign activity, Blinken said. This includes taking control of large areas of Yemen by force, attacking US partners in the Gulf, kidnapping and torturing citizens of the US and many of its allies, diverting humanitarian aid and brutally repressing Yemenis in areas they control.
Nevertheless, Blinken said the US would continue to designate individuals that launch missile attacks into Saudi Arabia.
“Actions and intransigence” by the Houthis prolongs the war in Yemen and “exact serious humanitarian costs,” he said.
*Al Arabiya
The United States will officially remove the Iran-backed Houthi militia from its list of terrorist organizations next week, a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday.
“Effective February 16, I am revoking the designations of Ansarallah, sometimes referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended,” Blinken said.
The US official said the decision came as a result of the “dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
“The revocations are intended to ensure that relevant US policies do not impede assistance to those already suffering what has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” Blinken added.
Washington hopes that the move will encourage warring sides to engage in dialogue.
But the Houthis continue to carry out malign activity, Blinken said. This includes taking control of large areas of Yemen by force, attacking US partners in the Gulf, kidnapping and torturing citizens of the US and many of its allies, diverting humanitarian aid and brutally repressing Yemenis in areas they control.
Nevertheless, Blinken said the US would continue to designate individuals that launch missile attacks into Saudi Arabia.
“Actions and intransigence” by the Houthis prolongs the war in Yemen and “exact serious humanitarian costs,” he said.
*Al Arabiya
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US to remove Yemen’s Houthis from terror list next week: State Department
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