WEB DESK
Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing today from positions they seized from the internationally-recognised government in the southern port city of Aden.
The Southern Transitional Council had wrested control of the city from government forces after four days of fighting that killed more than 70 people and exposed a major rift in the Saudi-led coalition, which has been battling Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lead the coalition, which is ostensibly fighting the rebels on behalf of the government. But the UAE is the dominant force in the south, where it has an estimated 90,000 allied militiamen and has long been at odds with the government, which is largely based in Saudi Arabia.
Yemeni officials said, the UAE-backed fighters had withdrawn from the streets but still held military positions seized in recent days and were still stationed outside the presidential palace.
