Medan, N Sumatra (Antara) - The Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) are ready to evacuate its citizens from war-torn Yemen, according to Army Chief of Staff General Gatot Nurmantyo. \"The Indonesian Army will cooperate with the Indonesian Air Force to evacuate its citizens from Yemen as soon as possible,\" Gatot stated after inaugurating Bukit Barisan Military Command\'s media center building here on Wednesday. He noted that the evacuation of Indonesian citizens from Yemen is urgent due to the deteriorating security condition in the country. Gatot affirmed that the Army is ready to perform its tasks for the benefit of the nation and conduct the evacuation process, but it is awaiting an order from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. TNI Commander General Moeldoko stated on Tuesday in Poso, Central Sulawesi, that the TNI was waiting for an order from President Joko Widodo, through Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi, to evacuate its citizens from Yemen. \"I have told the foreign affairs minister that the Indonesian Air Force is prepared. We will be ready to leave for Yemen within minutes after receiving the order from the president through the foreign affairs minister,\" he stated after attending a community service event held on the sidelines of an exercise organized for the swift reaction attack unit in Poso. According to the plan, Moeldoko emphasized that citizens trapped in Yemen would be evacuated out of the country by an air force aircraft and picked up by bus, which would then take them to a safe place or an airport before they are flown home by a civilian aircraft. \"Our task is to first evacuate the citizens in Yemen to save them. Only later will we fly them to Indonesia by a civilian plane,\" he affirmed. The Indonesian government has decided to take every possible effort to save its citizens. Moreover, the Foreign Affairs Ministry pointed out that the efforts to evacuate its citizens will be intensified as conditions in Yemen are worsening. (*)
