KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 — Umno president Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi has lashed out at Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong over the latter’s allegations that the previous Barisan Nasional government was unaware of Ops Yemen II.
“I want to ask first, was he (Liew) involved in that Cabinet meeting?” Zahid said when reporters asked him to comment regarding the matter.
Yesterday, Liew had alleged that the previous Cabinet was unaware of Ops Yemen II, saying that former defence minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had breached standard operating procedures when he deployed Malaysian troops in a support role during the Yemeni conflict.
Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin, who was the youth and sports minister during that Cabinet confirmed that the Barisan Nasional ministers were unaware of Malaysian military assets being deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia had spent RM14.6 million for the 12 flight missions sending equipment, bullets and explosives to Arab Alliance troops involved in the conflict. A further RM1.5 million was spent for each three months rotation period for the Malaysian soldiers stationed there.
However, no Malaysian military personnel were involved in active combat roles nor did they fly in the conflicted zones’ airspace, keeping themselves only in Saudi Arabian airspace.
