MOSCOW, February 8. /TASS/. The extremist groups that have sprung up in the vast territories of the eastern and southern part of Yemen, including the major port cities of Aden and al Mukalla, are trying to use the experience of Syrian smugglers for illegal export of oil and oil products from the country, Russian Ambassador to Yemen Vladimir Dedushkin told TASS on Monday.
"The war in Yemen has created fertile ground for the growth of activity of terrorist groups of every stripe and color," the diplomat said. "According to incoming reports, the extremist groups that have mushroomed on the vast areas of the country’s eastern and southern parts are not only replenished with gunmen from Syria. They are even trying to use the experience of Syrian smugglers to illegally export oil and oil products from Yemen." "We believe that this information requires serious attention and needs to be carefully verified," he said.
"Incredible as it may seem, currently only detachments of the Ansar Allah movement are fighting with extremists who declared an uncompromising war against them," Dedushkin said. "It is pretty difficult to speak about the effectiveness of this struggle, since the Houthis have to fight a two-front war - against the coalition and the resistance units supporting the government and against terrorist groups."
According to him, "without any doubt, the struggle against terrorists would be far more successful, if Yemenis, putting an end to civil strife, joined forces in fighting the common enemy personified by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group (banned in Russia) and al-Qaeda." "So far this is something one can only dream about," the ambassador added.