The forces were deployed in the important seaport and oil terminal on Saturday, Yemen‘s Arabic-language al-Masirah news website reported.

The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer with more than 1,200 sailors and Marines as well as a group of vessels aboard were also stationed offshore in the Gulf of Aden.

Yemen’s southern coast is now under the control of US troops, who are deployed to the region under the pretext of battling al-Qaeda militants.