The Arab Coalition undertaking the restoration of the Yemeni government said that it "remains committed to fighting terrorist organizations to eliminate extremism and terrorism in order to maintain global security."
"The Coalition is engaged in battling the terrorist organizations in Yemen, such as AQAP, ISIL terrorist organization and the Houthi terrorist militia affiliated to Iran, which all share extremist ideology and lack of coexistence with the others," said the Coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency in response to the Associated Press's "investigation" that accuses the Coalition of paying al-Qaeda to withdraw from Yemeni cities and recruiting them to fight against the Houthi rebels.
"We have followed what was published today in the Associated Press… the narrations and inferences set out are wrong and represent the personal opinion of the writers," he said.
"They are not based on any facts or convincing evidences," said al-Maliki calling upon the writer to verify the authenticity of their information and, as journalist professionalism requires, to contact the command of the Coalition to know about the Coalition's efforts in fighting against terrorism.
He stressed that the Coalition "will continue to battle the terrorist organizations in Yemen as part of the international efforts to eradicate terrorism around the world" and in this regard will continue to work with members of the international community, by exchanging information and carrying out joint operations with them.
