Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Assiri

Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Assiri, consultant in the office of the defense minister, on Sunday denied reports of boots on the ground to take part in the fighting in Aden.

Yemeni media outlets falsely reported on Sunday of the arrival of the first batch of ground troops from the Saudi-led coalition in Aden to support the Yemeni Popular Resistance and organizing efforts to fight militias of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Houthi rebels.

Aden Al-Ghad shared the news saying that the first batch of ground forces had arrived and took part in battles occurring at the maritime line dividing the Mansoura and Khor Maksur areas near the airport.

AFP news agency quoted a local Yemeni official saying that a limited coalition force entered Aden and another force was on its way to support the troops fighting the rebels.

Experts expected that circulating images likely belonged to Yemeni soldiers who supported the legitimacy of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, adding that the helmets and bulletproof vests they were wearing are their equipment or military equipment that had been dropped by coalition forces to support the popular resistance in Aden.

Yemeni Transport Minister Badr Mubarak Ba-Salma demanded a ground military intervention in Yemen deeming it important.

In a TV interview, the minister said that such an intervention is crucial in Aden to stop crimes conducted by Al-Houthi militia and followers of Saleh.

The minister confirmed that a Yemeni conference will be held mid-May with the participation of all parties, except the Houthis, and will start from the national dialogue and the Gulf initiative, stressing that Saleh is undesirable.

Southern Popular Resistance fighters gather on a road during fighting against Houthi fighters in Yemen’s southern city of Aden on Sunday. May 3, 2015. The Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen denied reports that a major ground force had landed Sunday in Aden.

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