Yemen Militia Denounces 'Unjustified' Embassy Closures

The Shiite militia that has taken control in Yemen's capital accused Western powers Thursday of trying to exert pressure by closing their embassies, criticizing the hasty exit of diplomatic staff as "unjustified".

In the crisis-hit country's south, Al-Qaida militants overran an army camp and seized weapons following clashes that killed at least seven people.

The United States, Britain and France have rushed to close their embassies over security fears in Yemen with U.S. staff destroying top-secret documents and abandoning vehicles at the airport Wednesday.

But Hussein al-Ezzi, described as the Shiite Huthi militia's head of foreign relations, said the closures were designed to put "pressure" on the Yemeni people.

"The decisions of some Western countries to close their embassies in Sanaa are absolutely unjustified," he was quoted as saying by the official Saba news agency, which is under Huthi control.

After weeks of internal deliberations and drawing down staff, Washington finally closed its Sanaa embassy over the "deteriorating security situation," evacuating staff to Muscat late Tuesday on a private Omani jet.

All the U.S. Marines also left but officials stressed that there were still U.S. special forces on the ground to carry on the fight against Al-Qaida.

The Huthis seized control of Sanaa in September and have since been tightening their grip on the capital and expanding their territory.

They dissolved parliament and declared a "presidential council" last week after the Western-backed president, Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, tendered his resignation saying he could no longer govern.

Late on Wednesday, a special Yemeni forces unit loyal to Hadi and which guards the U.S. mission clashed with dozens of armed Huthi militiamen who tried to advance towards the embassy premises, witnesses said.

The militiamen were forced to retreat "after a firefight", one resident said.

Long on the front line of the U.S. war against Al-Qaida, Yemen has descended into chaos since the Huthis swept into Sanaa from their northern stronghold.

The United Nations has demanded the reinstatement of the Western-backed Hadi -- who is in effect under house arrest -- but its efforts to broker a deal have failed so far.

Before evacuating, the Marines "destroyed their heavy weapons and crew-served weapons, machine guns and such," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters.

The Marine Corps said in a statement that no personal weapons had been handed over to Yemeni authorities and they had been smashed with sledgehammers.

Computers, documents, telephones and other sensitive materials were also destroyed, local embassy employees told AFP.

A wrecking crane was used to destroy numerous vehicles, while those used to evacuate the embassy staff were seized by militiamen at Sanaa airport.

They included three cars used by Ambassador Matthew Tueller and his staff, and more than 25 vehicles used by the Marines in charge of security, airport sources said.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the seizure of the vehicles was "completely unacceptable" and urged the Huthis to "respect international conventions" regarding the embassy site.

Ezzi confirmed that vehicles had been seized, without saying exactly how many, and insisted they were taken for safekeeping and would be handed over "to a trustworthy third party, like the United Nations office."

Britain also evacuated its diplomats as France called on its 100 or so citizens in Yemen to leave the country and said it would close its embassy from Friday.

Washington has been at pains to stress its battle against Al-Qaida in Yemen will continue.

"There continue to be Department of Defense personnel ... on the ground in Yemen that are coordinating with their counterparts," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

They were carrying out "the counter-terrorism actions that are necessary to protect the American people and our interests around the world".

On Thursday, Al-Qaida militants seized the camp of the 19th Infantry Brigade in Baihan, a town in southern Shabwa province, following clashes that killed at least seven people, a local government official told AFP.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), considered by the United States as the jihadist network's most dangerous branch, confirmed it had seized the camp, accusing troops there of links with the Huthis.

The exodus of Western diplomats came despite assurances from militia leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi that "these fears are unfounded. The security situation is stable."

Shiite Iran also criticized the "hasty action" of closing the embassies, insisting the Huthis were fighting "corruption and terrorism".

Huthi, often accused of receiving support from Tehran, has repeatedly portrayed his militia's advance into Sunni-majority areas as a battle against jihadists and called for Western support.