The protracted
conflict in Yemen is causing hundreds of thousands of casualties and deaths, pushed millions to the brink of famine, becoming a
major humanitarian crisis, while morphing into a proxy war between Iran and US ally Saudi Arabia. It is also leading to considerable destruction of infrastructure, including
cultural heritage. Meanwhile:
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo backed continued U.S. military support
for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen over the objections of staff members
after being warned that a cutoff could jeopardize $2 billion in weapons
sales to America’s Gulf allies [...] The move has fueled rising outrage in
Congress, where a bipartisan group of lawmakers is trying to cut off
American military aid for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in
their three-year-old war against Iran-backed fighters in Yemen. More
than 16,700 civilians have been killed or injured in Yemen, according to
the United Nations, which says the Gulf nation is home to the world’s
worst humanitarian crisis.[...] suspending support could undercut
plans to sell more than 120,000 precision-guided missiles to Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
Dion Nissenbaum, '
Pompeo Backed Saudis Amid Staff Discord' WSJ September 21, 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment