British Ambassador to Yemen: Houthis are sending children to the front and students to Qom
Michael Aaron, the British ambassador to Yemen, says that the Houthis in Yemen are recruiting children to go to the war fronts by changing the curriculum in primary schools and are sending students to Qom to study.
In an interview with the February 26 issue of the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the British ambassador to Yemen said that "the Houthis' continued control over Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, has increased the influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in this war-torn country."
He noted that "the Houthis have attempted to change Yemen's Arab identity through school curricula and the recruitment of child soldiers."
Michael Aaron went on to say that "the Houthis are changing Yemeni society and the curricula in schools. They control and change universities, send children to the war fronts, and send students to study in Qom, Iran."
He warned that the consequences of the Houthis' actions could be "catastrophic" for Yemeni society, and said that the longer this state of war lasts, the Islamic Republic's influence in the north of the country "will increase."
Mr. Aron emphasized that "within five years, Yemeni society will be completely transformed by Iranian influence and Houthi ideology and traditions."
In September of this year, the UN investigative team wrote in a report that it had found evidence that Houthi rebels had recruited dozens of teenage girls, some of whom had been victims of sexual violence, and used them as spies, military nurses, or members of a female military unit.
The report adds that the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels are recruiting and brainwashing children as young as seven years old from schools, slums, and detention centers, using financial incentives, force, or encouragement from their peers.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in the final days of the Donald Trump administration's administration's decision to add the Houthi rebels to the list of terrorist groups.
By placing the Houthi rebels on the list of terrorist groups, all of the group's assets in the United States will be frozen, transactions with them by American individuals and companies will be prohibited, and providing any assistance to the group will be considered a crime.
The war in Yemen began in 2014 after Houthi rebels seized large areas of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia, along with a coalition of Arab countries, launched a military operation against the Houthi militias in support of the legitimate government of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Despite the ongoing war in Yemen, the Houthis still control Sanaa and other populated cities in Yemen.
Source: Radio Farda
