Despite President Obama claiming in September that U.S. strategy used to combat terrorism in Yemen has been a "success," so successful in fact that it should be used to defeat ISIS, the country continues to fall apart. Late yesterday the United States evacuated the U.S. embassy in Yemen and Marines were bizarrely ordered by the State Department to destroy issued weapons on their way out. The British and French also closed and evacuated their embassies yesterday citing safety and security concerns.
The Marine Security Force left the American embassy in Yemen for the movement to the airfield as part of the "ordered departure" with only personal weapons. All crew served weapons were destroyed at the embassy prior to movement. None of them were 'handed over' in any way to anyone. The destruction of weapons at the embassy and the airport was carried out in accordance with an approved destruction plan.
Upon arrival at the airfield, all personal weapons were rendered inoperable in accordance with advance planning. Specifically, each bolt was removed from its weapons body and rendered inoperable by smashing with sledgehammers. The weapons bodies, minus the bolts, were then separately smashed with sledgehammers. All of these destroyed components were left at the airport -- and components were scattered; no usable weapon was taken from any Marine at Sana'a airport.
To be clear: No Marine handed a weapon to a Houthi, or had one taken from him.
President of Concerned Veterans of America Pete Hegseth discussed the situation last night on The Kelly File.
"We’re surrendering around the world, we’re surrendering our embassy, and now we’re asking U.S. Marines to surrender their dignity, give up oaths that they made, creeds that they live by, and surrender their rifle," Hegseth said.
UPDATE: #Marine Corps says Marines’ weapons were “rendered inoperable” during #Yemen evacuation. #KellyFile
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 12, 2015
Iranian backed rebels, otherwise known as Islamic terrorist Houthis, reportedly took over diplomatic vehicles as personnel fled the country.
Yemen rebels seized U.S. Embassy vehicles in the capital of Sanaa on Wednesday as diplomats fled the country and several foreign embassies closed amid deteriorating security conditions.
More than 25 vehicles were taken by Houthi rebels after Americans departed the city's airport, airport officials told the Associated Press.
The Marine Corps said security personnel destroyed their personal weapons before boarding a commercial flight out of Yemen.
In southern Yemen, al Qaeda fighters took over a Yemeni government military base.
Yemeni military officials say al-Qaida militants have seized control of an important army base in the south following clashes with soldiers.
The officials say at least four troops and four militants died in the fighting and that at least 15 soldiers were taken hostage. The base is home to Yemen's 19th Infantry Brigade and is located in the Baihan area in southern Shabwa province.
Further, ISIS has made it's way into the country.
I'll leave you with a flashback of President Obama's own words on the Yemen "success" story. From September 2014:
Now, it will take time to eradicate a cancer like ISIL. And any time we take military action, there are risks involved –- especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these missions. But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil. This counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years. And it is consistent with the approach I outlined earlier this year: to use force against anyone who threatens America’s core interests, but to mobilize partners wherever possible to address broader challenges to international order.
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