Zahid skirts questions on Ops Yaman 2
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today refused to confirm nor deny if the previous cabinet was unaware of Ops Yaman 2, as alleged by Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong.
Liew had told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that Malaysian military personnel stationed at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were involved in military logistics for the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen since 2015...
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today refused to confirm nor deny if the previous cabinet was unaware of Ops Yaman 2, as alleged by Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong.
Liew had told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that Malaysian military personnel stationed at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were involved in military logistics for the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen since 2015.
When asked about this today, Zahid, who was deputy prime minister at the material time, did not provide a straight answer.
“I want to ask: Was he (Liew) involved in that cabinet meeting?” said Zahid curtly, when met at the Parliament lobby today.
Read more: RKB: Najib’s silence on Ops Yaman 2 due to Saudi allegiance?
According to Liew’s reply to the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Malaysian troops had landed in Riyadh on April 2015 to evacuate Malaysians stranded in Yemen.
By June that year, however, the mission was changed and Ops Yaman 2 was launched.
He said Malaysian military planes were used to move military equipment and weapons for the Saudi-led coalition.
Liew had stressed that Malaysian troops were not combatants.
Despite mounting of indirect Malaysian involvement in the Yemeni conflict, the previous Najib Abdul Razak-administration had refused to admit to it.
The Saudi-led coalition is aiding one faction in the Yemen civil war which began in 2015. The death toll has been estimated in the hundreds of thousands and millions more were displaced.
The Najib-administration had enjoyed very cordial ties with the Saudi government.
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