Is Saudi Arabia Planning a Ground Attack in Yemen Using Foreign Troops?

The decision by the West African nation, Senegal, to supply 2,100 troops to Saudi Arabia in light of the Saudi Arabia-Yemen conflict, has raised the specter of a Saudi invasion of Yemen using the foreign troops.

“The international coalition is aiming to protect and secure the holy sites of Islam, Medina and Mecca,” Senegalese Foreign Minister Mankeur Ndiaye told parliament. “The President…has decided to respond favorably to this request by deploying a contingent of 2,100 men in the holy land of Saudi Arabia,” he said. Senegalese President Macky Sall said, after returning from a visit to Saudi Arabia last month, that he was considering a request to deploy troops, Reuters noted Tuesday.

The Saudi-led coalition fighter jets bombed two residential districts in the Yemeni governorate of Aden on Tuesday. The Saudi air strikes hit the districts of Mualla and Khormaksar in Aden, reports said. Saudi Arabia has been striking Yemen for 41 days now, to restore power to fugitive President Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh. The Saudi-led aggression has so far killed at least 3,163 Yemenis, including hundreds of women and children, and has devastated the impoverished nation, causing food and medical supplies shortages.

While there are reports that some non-local Yemenis have appeared in Aden fighting for the Saudis, the unexplained closure of the airport of Najran, a Saudi town bordering north Yemen, raises questions. In addition, the Daily Star of Lebanon reported yesterday, citing the Saudi state television, Saudi Arabia has suspended all schools in the southern region of Najran, near the border with Yemen, without giving a reason for the measure.