Up to 50 UK military personnel have been teaching battlefield skills to soldiers who will be deployed in the so-called ‘dirty war’. 

Thousands of civilians have been killed in bombing raids and an estimated one million children are facing starvation and serious illness as a result of the conflict.

The Army’s involvement is part of Britain’s ‘shameful complicity’ in the suffering, according to Tory MP and former Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell. 

The training mission – codenamed Operation Crossways – came to light only after the Army released photos and information by mistake.

The United Nations is investigating the situation in Yemen, describing it as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Some 10,000 people have died since the conflict between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Houthis in 2015.

Recently a Saudi blockade of Yemen’s ports brought the country to the edge a famine, with the charity Unicef predicting 150,000 children could die by the end of 2017.

Last night, Mr Mitchell demanded that the UK Government provide answers in the Commons about Britain’s role in Saudi military operations.

He said: ‘The UK has been shamefully complicit in Saudi’s role in Yemen, which has clearly included breaches of the Geneva Conventions. 

'I have no doubt Parliament will require an explanation of this training mission in view of the high level of concern about the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Yemen.’

Operation Crossways involved troops from 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 Scots) teaching ‘Irregular Warfare’ (IW) techniques to officers from the Royal Saudi Land Forces Infantry Institute.

IW is a collective name for specific tactics used by conventional armies.