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The Pentagon said late Friday the U.S. would no longer refuel planes for the Saudi-led coalition battling Houthi rebels in Yemen, suggesting the Trump administration may be taking concrete steps to support the controversial war of continued high-profile civilian casualties.
The move also comes to tense time for Washington and Riyadh following the death of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey last month. The incident has ratcheted up tensions between the two nations and sparked strong calls on Capitol Hill to cut off arms sales and military support for Saudi Arabia, along with imposing possible economic sanctions.
On Yemen, top administration officials said it was time to end the conflict and move to a peaceful resolution.
Both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, but the United States has reportedly been criticized by the United States, but it has been reported that it has been time to end the controversy over the subject of violent carnage.
"Defense Secretary James Mattis said in a statement late Friday night" We support the decision by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after consultations with the US government, to use the coalition's own military capabilities to conduct inflight refueling in support of its operations. . "The U.S. and the Coalition are planning to collaborate on the building up of legitimate Yemeni forces to defend the Yemeni people, secure their country's borders, and contribute to al Qaeda and ISIS efforts in Yemen and the region."
"The U.S. will also continue to work with the coalition and downsize the country," he continued. "Recognizing continued bipartisan interest from Congress, the administration is appreciative of the continued dialogue with the United States on this issue and look forward to working with the United Nations' ongoing efforts on this new phase in Yemen."
In its own statement, Riyadh said it simply no longer needs America's help with refueling.
"The latest news from the coalition and the coalition has increased its ability to independently conduct inflight refueling in Yemen," read a statement released on state-run Saudi television. "As a result, in consultation with the United States, the coalition has requested cessation of inflight refueling support for its operations in Yemen."
While it's unclear exactly what impact the policy will have on the Yemen, what is it? The Trump administration has been called on by the Saudi-led coalition in the United States, which is a key part of Saudi Arabia and Iran.
But new faces are showing that civilian deaths are going up. Since the start of 2016, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes have killed at least 4,489 civilians, according to the figures of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
So far this year, 1,254 civilians have been killed, one of four people each day. Last year, 1,386 civilians were killed, or about 3.79 per day, meaning the frequency of civil deaths is actually rising, not falling as U.S.
Government officials have gone back to the past several weeks.
"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said recently," It is time to end this conflict, replace conflict with compromise, and allow the Yemeni people to heal through peace and reconstruction.
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