High-rank US general was privately included in Yemen conflict
(MENAFN) In a startling revelation, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday that retired United States Marine General James Mattis was secretly enlisted in 2015 to provide counsel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) regarding the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. The investigation, part of a broader inquiry into the hiring of retired United States military officers by Gulf states, uncovered documents through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, revealing Mattis's undisclosed involvement.
According to the Post's findings, sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi at the time, established a friendship with Mattis in 2011 during the latter's tenure as the head of the United States Central Command. When Saudi Arabia initiated its military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Sheikh Mohamed sought Mattis's advice. Mattis, who had recently retired from the United States military, did not publicly disclose this engagement when he assumed the role of secretary of defense in 2017.
In June 2015, Mattis formally sought permission from the State Department and the Marines to advise the United Arab Emirates on various aspects of the Yemen campaign, including operational, tactical, informational, and ethical considerations. In the application, Mattis indicated that he would be compensated for his services, with the amount to be determined after approval from the United States government.
Robert Tyrer, a senior executive at the Cohen Group, where Mattis is currently employed, clarified that the former defense secretary did not accept money from foreign governments, except for standard travel expenses. Tyrer stated that Mattis included the compensation claim to subject his paperwork to "the most rigorous level of review."
This revelation raises questions about the transparency of Mattis's involvement and the broader implications of retired United States military officers providing advisory services to foreign governments. The undisclosed nature of Mattis's role during a critical period in the Yemen conflict adds a layer of complexity to discussions surrounding military engagements and the ethical considerations associated with such arrangements.
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