[Becky Anderson, Cnn:] A decade's old struggle, a two-week old war, and neither side seems close to backing down as the threat of a ground battle looms. You're not denying it [inaudilbe]?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes. It is one of the options.
[Anderson:] Desperation on the ground as Yemenis struggle for survival. and aid agencies face their own fight to reach those in need. Plus, from the Saudi leadership and its international allies, tenacity.
[Unidentified Male:] Saudi Arabia is sending a strong message to the Houthis and their allies that they cannot overrun Yemen by force.
[Anderson:] This hour, I'll challenge the deputy U.S. Secretrary of State on his country's role in the escalating crisis.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Correpsondent:] Well, Becky, the army that we see here are aligned along the border in a defensive posture, however that's the army we're able to see. There are places that we can't go to along the border, so we don't know what the army has deployed there. We do know taht the army has moved significant reinforcements up to the border. They have at their disposal hundreds of top class M1A2 Abrahms tanks if they choose to use them. They have a significant military force with high tech weapons should they choose to go across the border. Where we are, the mountains where we're standing here across those mountains is really the stronghold where the Houthis are. Their sort of base, if you will, it's where they have the most support. It would be unlikely to see the Saudi forces put ground troops in from here potentially along the coast. That would be trecherous and incredibly unlikely. Potentially way further to the east where they might be in Yemen able to count on the support of tribes there, or potentially if they can gain control of Aden and Aden today saw fierce fighting, Aden would be a place to put ashore a force, get politicians from the former government or the current internationally recognized government, get them back inside Yemen and then try to build from there to take more territory. But, what we see at the border here there is a buildup of the army. Are they leaning forward, or are they in a defensive posture? What we're able to see, Becky, is a defensive posture.
[Anderson:] Nic, clearly it's innocent Yemenis who are suffering the fallout of this conflict. And with aid agencies struggling ot get in and evacuaees, quite frankly, struggling to get out. The very desperate have been making what is a very long and dangerous journey, I kno,w to the border area where you are to try and escape. What have people been telling you?
[Robertson:] Well, what the Saudi border officials are doing is anyone that arrives at the border who is fleeing under extreme circumstances, who doesn't have a Saudi visa to come into the country, they are opening the doors and letting them in Any that need medical treatment, they're getting medical treatment. Those that are allowed in who don't have, you know, a proper visa, are being taken tothe airport and given flights to get them where they need to be closer, back to their families, their countries of origin. What they are telling us is a desperate and frightening, long road journey. We've heard of we talk to people who across the sea and fled across the sea, too afraid to make the drives; others who have made the drive and they're coming you know, they're coming with children, they're coming with family possessions. So it's a huge challenge and a huge concern. But the Saudis are making them welcome and are assisting them and traveling on, Becky.
[Anderson:] Nic Robertson is there close to the border, as we've been discussing. Questions remain about the likelihood and the timing of a Saudi-led ground campaign in Yemen. Late last night, I spoke to Brigadier General Ahmed bin Hassan Asiri, who is the military spokesman for the coalition. Here is his take on that possibility. In Afghanistan and in Iraq, it was clear that airstrikes along were not suficient, that ground troops were and are needed. Will ground troops be needed in Yemen?
[Brig.gen. Ahmed Asiri, Saudi Defense Spokesman:] We have criteria for each phase. And we have objectives to achieve. Once we achieve the air campaign objectives and we reach the phase of the ground offensive, or ground operation, we will let you know.
[Anderson:] You're not denying that it could or would happen.
[Asiri:] Yes, it is one of the options. But how would we conduct, when will it be conducted, I think it is obvious that we cannot declare it.
[Anderson:] Why have there been holdups in the delivery of aid to Yemen?
[Asiri:] Now actually we are in the peak of our air campaign. And it's one of our objectives using this campaign is to relieve the population from suffering.
[Anderson:] So you don't accept the criticism from aid agencies that the Saudi-led coalition has got in the way?
[Asiri:] We don't have any case that the delay was having from the coalition.
[Anderson:] There is much discussion about the influence of Iran in Yemen. The Saudi ambassador to Washington recently said that he believes there are assets from the elite military force there. Are there?
[Asiri:] We are not talking about speculation here, we are talking about evident. Militias had Scud, fighter jets, artillery. Recently, they conduct a very big exercise on our borders in the presence of consultant Iranian consultant and Hezbollah instructors. This is why those coalition those countries joined the coalition, because they understand where are the dangers. We in Saudi Arabia, we accept to have a neighborhood in every country, I mean, with a strong army. But we cannot accept that militias have Scuds, fighter jet. The Iranian declared one day that now we have a border with Saudi Arabia. One day they declared that we have fourth Arabic capital under our control. What evidence more than we're asking to have?
[Anderson:] Well, stay with us this hour as we bring you more on the crisis in Yemen. In a few minutes, I'm going to get your my interview with the deputy U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken. He was here yesterday. He's in the Gulf, in the Emirates today, in which I press him on the extent of U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led coalition. Well move you on away from here for a moment and to Afghanistan now where a U.S. soldier has been shot and killed by a member of the Afghan national army. Now this happened earlier today in Jalalabad. Senior interntional corresponent Nick Paton Walsh has been following this story for us form Beirut, recently back from Afghanistan himself. He joins us now. Just two weeks ago, Nick, the U.S. announced it was slowing down the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. What are the details on this latest incident and loss of life?
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn International Correspondent:] What this kind of attack affects, exactly the presence that the U.S. is thinking about prolonging, and that's their trainers to the east, certainly here. Now this was a meeting of both diplomat and U.S. military personnel occurring at the governor's compound in Jalalabad. We were around that area ourselves just over a week ago now. And apparently this meeting ended. Now U.S. personnel fly around that area mostly in helicopters. Now it ended and they emerged from the governor's compound. Of Course, because of the prevelant nature of these insider attacks there are a lot of U.S. security involved. In fact a group called Guardian Angels that specifically are there to protect U.S. personnel from any Afghan security forces who might go rogue in incidents like this. Now in this instance, the meeting ended. The U.S. diplomats and soldiers emerged from the compound. An Afghan soldier used a heavy machine gun on top of an Afghan military truck, local police tell us, to open fire upon the U.S. personnel, one killed, some injured, not clear their nationality, there's U.S. and Polish specifically in that particular area right now. And then the assailant killed presumably by return of fire from the U.S. there to other Afghans wounded, not clear if they were involved in the attack or caught in the crossfire. But this just scores the dangers now most prevalant against a very limited U.S. mission and presence still in the east of the country, which we saw ourselves in that very area of Jalalabad just over a week ago.
[Walsh:] This is how it ends here. No helicopter evacuation from an embassy roof. Instead, Blackhawks bouncing officers around a handful of multiple [inaudible] from the front lines. And a race to ready the Afghans to go it alone before the U.S. leaves late next year. This supply center for police is meant to supply uniforms and even ammunition to the whole east, but it's far from main roads with bad cell phone coverage. Doors don't have handles. Afghans here tell us the water and electricity have problems, ask who will maintain it? Finished four months ago, it so far hasn't supplied anyone. The cost: $21 million. About Afghans living here now, so about 400,000 U.S. dollars, taxpayer money, per Afghan at the moment. It's going to be difficult, isn't it, to get this done under the clock you're working under.
[Colonel J.b. Vowell, U.s. Army:] It's a challenge, make no doubt. It is going to be a challenge to get all those hubs and spokes and logistics and sustainment to maintenance, supplies, resupply, requisition. I'm optimistic, though. Much of this didn't even exist in November.
[Walsh:] America's longest war is ending, and it has left Afghanistan indelibly changed. Some of their police now die in old Humvees. It is rare now for Americans to drive around here, flying over valleys where they once faced the Taliban who are now vying with ISIS for young, angry recruits. This war is barely recognizable. The main threat here now rogue Afghans opening fire on foreigners. We were surrounded at all times by a security detail. Well, this is about as close to front line as these American troops will get here in Afghanistan, and they are on guard against insider attacks here in an Afghan police base. Their job now, to train. Combat over. The Afghan military is marching to stand still. Recent figures suggest one in 10 of these new graduates will desert in the coming year. Barack Obama has slowed America's departure, but only a fraction. Drones and special forces will fight on unseen, but to the levers of power in what was once called the graveyard of empires: America will let go. Now so limited is that U.S. president, it's actually remarkable to note how they hop between secure locations. The threat reduced on the outside from the insurgency, but that is why these insider attacks are so key, it seems. The insurgent's strategy, it makes it very hard for that interaction the Americans need with the Afghans they're training, handing security over to, because as you saw there they have to secure themselves, have a security details with them. In fact, those men standing often between, their weapons drawn us and the American officials and the Afghans there, too. So, a very complex situation. The threat is increasing. The Taliban resurgent. ISIS getting a foothold. The Afghan military having a real dessertion problem, too. That U.S. timetable for a wthdrawal slightly slowed, but it doesn't change the broader picture. They're all in the embassy by the end of next year, Becky.
[Anderson:] Yeah, Nick Paton Walsh reporting. Thank you, Nic. Still to come tonight, suspects in what was the deadly attack at a Kenyan university appeared in court. We'll have the very latest from Nairobi for you. And just ahead after this short break, my interview with deputy U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. You'll get the back story on U.S. involvement in this conflict in Yemen. I'm Becky Anderson, this is Connect the World live from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia this evening. Do stay with us.