Apr 21, 2015, SPA -- Brig. Gen. Ahmed bin Hasan Asiri, consultant at the minister of defense's office and spokesman of the Coalition Forces, stressed that Operation Determination Strom came upon a request by Yemeni President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi which was presented to the Arab countries as a response to the request of the Yemeni people and government for supporting the legitimacy and protecting the Yemeni legitimacy and citizens against the practices of the Huthi militias and the ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
During the daily press briefing held today at Riyadh Air Base, Brig. Asiri said that the political process was launched to achieve specific military objectives of this campaign which are protection of the Yemeni legitimacy and deterring the Huthi operations from continuing operations threatening the Yemeni citizens and destroying its military capabilities which they seized from the Yemeni army and which were accumulated during the past years as well as preventing the Huthi militias from threatening the kingdom and neighboring countries.
He added that Determination Storm focused on specific objectives, including controlling the airspace in Yemen and preventing the Houthi militias and their supporters from using the air forces or any other air means against the coalition operations, destroying anti-air defense operations controlled by the Huthi militias and destroying the command and control centers from which operations are run, stressing that the coalition forces controlled the airspace in the first fifteen minutes of the operation.
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22:39 LOCAL TIME 19:39 GMT
Brig Asiri explained that the operations continued against axes of ballistic missiles, logistics, supply, movements, ammunition stores, maintenance and manufacturing primitive workshops that they had, the sea embargo and prevention of ground operations. He stressed preventing the Huthi militias from entering and controlling the city of Aden as the operations were carried out with high precision and careful planning. He said that the operations were successful and without injuries with respect to air operations with the exception of one plane that faced a technical glitch that was announced at the time of the accident.
Brig Asiri added that the operations were punctual and hit their targets in terms of the volume of sorties carried out, pointing out that during the past two days, coalition forces carried out 2,300 sorties, and today, we confirm reaching 2415 sorties whose goal was to implement the air campaign in a focused manner and setting the goals that were achieved accurately on the ground, pointing out that the announcement of the command of the alliance today to end the Determination Storm's operations came at the request of the Yemeni president who felt that the main objectives of the Determination Storm have been achieved on the ground and that the legitimacy was protected and that the Yemeni citizens are no longer in jeopardy as they were in the early days.
He said that the Huthi militias lost a large part of its potential and we can assure that it will not be a reason for threatening neighboring countries or Yemeni citizens, indicating that the Yemeni government will take all procedures for the continuation of restoring hope to the Yemeni citizens through Operation Hope Restore which will start at the beginning of tomorrow.
He added that operations regarding Operation Hope Restore will begin to restore hope to the Yemeni people, emphasize that the Yemeni government will work to support their presence on the ground of Yemen and continue towards building a secure and stable Yemen. Regarding future operations in the military part, the command of the coalition through Operation Hope Restore will prevent the Huthi militias from moving and carrying out any operations inside Yemen.
He added, 'We are targeting operational moves of the Huthi militias to prevent them from harming citizens or actually changing the reality on the ground, noting that these operations will continue to protect the civilian citizens from the oppression of the Huthi militias if these militias tried to return to the practices that they were exercising prior to the beginning of Operation Determination Storm. On top of these tasks are support for relief, evacuation, humanitarian work in Yemen, facilitating their potential operations through continued humanitarian and relief work and evacuations that we have already announced. We will emphasize their duties today in continuing to manage and coordinate the work of evacuation, relief and humanitarian operations.
Brig Asiri confirmed that the operations will continue with respect to humanitarian and relief work and evacuation when the leadership of the coalition feels that there is a need for military action to achieve the humanitarian and relief work and evacuation.
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23:02 LOCAL TIME 20:02 GMT
3- Eliminating the threat targeting the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries, posed by heavy weapons and ballistic missiles seized by the Houthi militias and forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh from the bases of the army and used them or threatened to use them against the Yemeni people.
4- Working towards combating the menace of terrorist organizations.
5- Laying the ground for resumption of the political process, in accordance with the GCC-sponsored initiative and its executive mechanism and the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue.
His Excellency added that this victory has been crowned by the issuance of the UN Security Council resolution No. 2216, under Chapter 7, that imposed a new reality and blocked the way against the move of all those who aim to wreak havoc, in Yemen and those sparking sedition in the country. And this will be the main prerequisite in the endeavor for a new future for Yemen. Consequently, the President anticipates the beginning of the process 'Restore Hope' for the Yemeni people, during which the work will start to achieve the set objectives. The President concluded his message as follows:
'We are confident that our joint endeavors with the coalition countries and the world community would pave the way in Yemen for a new phase, in which its people will fold the latest hurtful events that wreaked it. Finally, Yemen peoples' free will, in drawing their future, away from any subjugation or coercion or imposition of a status quo by force by the Houthi militias and their supporters will prevail.
We pray to Allah, the president said, to restore security and stability to the Yemeni people.
Best of regards,
Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi, the President
As mentioned in the message of President Hadi, the goals of Determination Storm operation have been achieved in accordance with the set plan, in a record time, since the beginning of the operations, which comprised neutralizing the bulk of military capabilities under the Houthi control which was posing threats to Yemen as well as neighboring countries and the region at large, in addition to controlling the airspace and the territorial sea, to prevent deliverance of arms to the Houthis, and maintaining the legitimate power to lay ground for an appropriate environment to exercise its tasks, support humanitarian situation inside Yemen, assist evacuation operations of foreigners, facilitate the tasks of voluntary medical crews and, promptly, provide various areas, especially, those witnessing hostilities with relief.
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23:03 LOCAL TIME 20:03 GMT
In a response to the request of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in his message dated on 20/04/2015, the countries of the coalition hereby announce ending of 'Determination Storm' operation by the end of this day and beginning of 'Restore Hope' operation which aims to achieve the following objectives:
1- A quick resumption of the political process in accordance with the Security Council resolution No. (2216), the GCC-sponsored initiative and the outputs of the comprehensive national dialogue.
2- Continuation of protecting civilians.
3- Continuation of combating terrorism
4- Continuation of facilitating evacuation of the foreign dependants and intensifying relief and medical assistance to the Yemeni people in the affected regions and allowing the international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance.
5- Confronting any military movements and operations carried out by Houthi militias and their supporters and preventing them from using the weapons they have looted from the camps or smuggled from abroad.
6- Establishing international cooperation, based on the ongoing efforts of the allies, to prevent, through accurate monitoring and inspection, the deliverance of weapons by air or sea to the Houthi militias and their ally, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
In this regard, the coalition countries appreciate the order issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud allocating a sum of $ 274 million for relief and humanitarian works in Yemen via the United Nations.
The coalition countries confirm their keenness that the Yemeni people would restore security and stability away from the foreign domination and intervention aiming at triggering sedition and sectarianism in order to achieve their aspirations and hopes so that Yemen would return to practicing its natural role in its Arab environment, God willing.
--SPA
23:24 LOCAL TIME 20:24 GMT