The Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced a joint military operation against Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Participants include the Yemeni government forces and Saudi and Emirati special forces.
The coalition said that the first hours of the operation resulted in the killing a large number of Al-Qaeda militants, who were driven out of Al-Mukalla, the Al-Qaeda stronghold in the country's south. Militants not killed in the offensive fled the Hadramout provincial capital they had held for a year. Among those killed were a number of al-Qaeda leaders.
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia responded to an appeal for assistance from Yemeni President Hadi by forming an international coalition and launching military operations in support of the people of Yemen and the legitimate government of Yemen. Saudi Arabia supports all efforts to end the Yemeni crisis.
