Richard Engel: Yemen ‘Could Become the New Syria’

BRZEZINSKI: "Let's circle back to how it actually relates to this next story which is a major headline this morning and still developing. Just days after deadly suicide bomb attack in a mosque in Yemen, the country appears to be spiraling out of control prompting the U.S. to evacuate its remaining troops and Yemen president’s call for 'urgent intervention' by the UN Security Council. Shia Houtie rebels have claimed the large parts of the country since they drew out the country president. And over the weekend they ceased controlled over Yemen's third largest city, just 85 miles from where Yemen's president established a base. Just six months ago, President Obama said that fight against terrorism in Yemen was a success while discussing the assault on ISIS."
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OBAMA: " This counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground.  This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years."
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BRZEZINSKI: "This is at this point extremely disturbing, what's happening in Yemen and given those comments."
ENGEL: "I am much more concerned about Yemen than this ISIS hit list. The ISIS hit list is bad, hopefully no one will act upon it, but the situation in Yemen is -- we have a state in collapse. Yemen, which is right on the border of Saudi Arabia, could become the new Syria. Since February the government in Yemen has been in a state of free fall. It has been forced to be on the run. It's almost a government in exile. It is battling with the rebel groups of Shia group there called the Houties. And as the government and the Houties fight for control normally this would be kind of a civil war you see in a lot of -- at least in African countries, kind of things that happen. But as these two sides are fighting for their own survival and for control of the country, ISIS is moving in and is establishing a bigger base and is using the chaos to try and firmly embed itself into Yemeni society. And just on Friday, it carried out five suicide attacks and killed around 140 people. So this is really a dangerous situation."