US launches international task force to counter Houthi attacks
ABC News
The U.S. attempts to counter Houthi attacks by convening a task force -- but only nine countries are confirmed to have joined.
The U.S. is responding to the escalating crisis in the Red Sea by announcing Tuesday it has launched an international task force for maritime security, but so far only nine other politically similar nations are confirmed to have joined on -- sparking doubt that the coalition can put an end to militia attacks on vessels in the region and calm anxious shipping companies.
State Department officials said the Biden administration's initial goal was to bring together a broad array of international powers to rein in the Houthis, an armed group backed by Iran that controls a significant amount of territory in Yemen.
However, when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the initiative, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S. said it had only managed to recruit the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain -- seven NATO allies and two small island nations.
Asked about whether the coalition could have a meaningful impact, White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday that time would tell.
"There's going to be a whole lot of hardware in the Red Sea now, naval hardware, not just from the United States, but other ships from other nations to counter these threats," he said. "So let's see where it goes."
