“The defence minister did not get approval for Ops Yemen 2,” he said.
He also confirmed that Malaysia’s involvement was limited to tactical and logistical support for Saudi Arabia.
This was corroborated by Khairy Jamaluddin (BN-Rembau) who also said the Cabinet had not been informed of phase two of the operations.
This follows calls for the government to explain the presence of Malaysian troops in Riyadh and their involvement in the conflict in Yemen, after the Pakatan Harapan government took over Putrajaya.
In April 2015, Liew said, 26 officers and 16 other personnel from the Malaysian military were stationed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to evacuate Malaysians in Yemen.
“That was part of Ops Yemen 1,” he said, adding that this was the original intent of the mission.
Under Ops Yemen 2, from June 11, 2015 to Sept 4, 2018, an additional 27 officers and 62 others from the Malaysian military were asked to rotate shifts every three months.
“This included 12 series of assistance with Arab Alliance flights carrying equipment, bullets and explosives,” Liew said.
In 2016, the Air Force had proposed that the personnel be brought back due to the high operational cost and pressure from troops and flight crew.
“But the former chief of defence forces and defence minister did not agree to bring them back.”
He said last year, the Air Force had suggested that only one flight be deployed as the others were in need of maintenance.
“Originally, the military troops were there to help with the evacuation of Malaysians in Yemen, but the mission changed to helping the Arab Alliance military,” he said.
Liew said this was against Malaysia’s neutral stance in dealing with foreign conflict.
“Malaysia does not have any treaty with Saudi Arabia to place any military staff there,” he added.
He said Putrajaya estimates that about 700 Malaysians are still in Yemen today.
He said Ops Yemen 2 ended on Sept 4, after the Pakatan Harapan government decided to recall the staff as their presence there was “not in line with Malaysia’s non-interference policy”.
He added that Ops Yemen 2 cost RM14.6 million up until the completion of the 12 series of assistance.