More Mercenaries Hired by Blackwater Killed in Yemen

A former British army officer and an Australian are among eight foreign mercenaries killed

Local Editor

Three foreign mercenaries were killed in clashes with Ansarullah revolutionaries and allied forces in the southwestern Yemeni province of Taiz, media reports said on Wednesday.

The three foreigners, French and British, were employed by the US-based private military contractor, Blackwater, to fight in the Arab impoverished country, Yemen’s al-Marsad news agency reported.

Blackwater Mercenaries

Earlier on Tuesday, an Australian mercenary has reportedly been killed alongside six Colombians. Al-Marsad identified the Australian as Philip Stitman, adding that the mercenaries were killed during clashes with Ansarullah fighters and the allies forces, compromised of the Yemeni army and the popular committees, in al-Amri region in Bab-el-Mandeb area in Taiz.

The New York Times reported on November 25 that the UAE has "secretly" deployed 450 Latin American troops, mostly from Colombia, but also from Panama, El Salvador and Chile, to fight in the war on Yemen.

Yemeni sources say the Colombians fighting in Yemen are part of a larger battalion who have been training in the UAE deserts over the past five years.

Meanwhile, sources in Colombia have confirmed the presence of Colombian nationals in Yemen, saying the troops have been promised a weekly salary of USD 1,000 and United Arab Emirates (UAE) citizenship.

The New York Times has reported that the US is involved in training such mercenaries. In its report, the daily said that US advisers are currently based in the camps where the mercenaries are being trained, and the company that originally ran the training program before handing it over to the Emirati military was connected to a U.S. citizen, Erik Prince, who is infamous for his role as CEO of Blackwater.

Yemen has been since March 26 under brutal aggression by Saudi-led coalition. Thousands have been martyred and injured in the attack, with the vast majority of them are civilians.
Riyadh launched the attack on Yemen in a bid to restore power to fugitive president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to Saudi Arabia.