The UAE withdrew its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Monitoring: As a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners, two months ago, the UAE withdrew its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces," the UAE's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Combined Maritime Forces is a 34-nation task force, headquartered at the US Naval Base in Bahrain that claims to work on security, counter-terrorism, and counter-piracy in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf regions.

The region includes some of the world's most important shipping routes.

The statement said that the UAE is committed to dialogue and diplomatic engagement to promote security and stability in the region and is committed to ensuring the safety of navigation in its seas in accordance with international law.

The UAE statement said that the Wall Street Journal's report on Tuesday, which cited US and Persian Gulf sources as saying the UAE was disappointed by the lack of US response to the recent seizure of oil tankers, is a "mischaracterization" of talks between the two countries.