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Yemen on 'Brink of Civil War' as Taiz Falls to Rebels

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A U.N. officials said Yemen is "on the brink of a civil war" as the country's third largest city has fallen to Shia Houthi rebels, a group backed by Iran.

"It would be an illusion to think that Houthi Shiite rebels could succeed in taking control of the entire country," U.N. special envoy for Yemen Jamal Benomar told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

"Right now they control the capital, much of the north and have just seized Yemen's third-largest city, Taiz," he said.

Over the weekend, the United States pulled out all remaining troops in the nation. One hundred U.S. Special Forces and military trainers were forced to flee so quickly they left equipment behind.

Last month the U.S. embassy withdrew staff amid rising tensions. Security officials said the pullout harms much-needed counter-terroism efforts.

"Because we are withdrawing completely, we will have no intelligence footprint or capabilities to monitor what AQAP (al Qaeda in the Peninsula) and ISIS and the Shia militants are doing in the region," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said.

"Without that intelligence, we cannot effectively stop it," he said.

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