Blinken pledges to review US designation of Ansarullah as terrorist group

The incoming US Secretary of State Tony Blinken has pledged to “immediately” review Washington’s designation of Yemen’s Ansarullah  as a terrorist group.

He acknowledged  that the decision to blacklist the group may worsen the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.

The move came during a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

“We would propose to review that immediately to make sure that what we are doing is not impeding the provision of humanitarian assistance even under these difficult circumstances,” Blinken told lawmakers of Pompeo’s decision.

Blinken said that the designation makes “it even more difficult than it already is to provide humanitarian assistance to people who desperately need it”.

Outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced blacklisting the Yemeni group last week in a move largely seen as a push to complicate the incoming Biden administration’s foreign policy.

E.M