US to stop refueling Saudi aircraft in Yemen


[ad_1]

The Trump administration has stopped its support for air-to-air refueling of Yemen's Saudi coalition aircraft, US and Saudi officials said Friday.

Saudi Arabia said in a statement that US assistance was no longer needed because of its own progress in refueling.

Secretary of Defense James MattisJames Norman MattisNight Overture: What do Intermediate Exams Mean for Defense Panels | Pompeo cancels North Korean meeting | Trump plans Kim's summit early 2019 | The Pentagon abandons the name of its mission at the border Sessions at the Ministry of Justice The Pentagon abandons the operation "Faithful patriot" as the name of the military mission at the border MORE In a statement, Saudi Arabia decided to no longer use US capabilities "after consultations with the US government."

"We are all focused on supporting conflict resolution, led by United Nations Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, with the United States and the Coalition planning to collaborate in building legitimate Yemeni forces to defend the conflict. Yemeni people, to secure the borders of their country and to help counter the efforts of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Yemen and the region, "said Mattis.

"The United States will also continue to work with the Coalition and Yemen to reduce the number of civilian casualties and expand urgent humanitarian efforts throughout the country," he added.

Saudi Arabia's three-year war has been under increased scrutiny, with refueling being one of the most tangible and controversial aspects of US support for the kingdom in the conflict.

Lawmakers on both sides lobbied for the United States to suspend arms sales in Riyadh and ban all fuel for the war, which, according to the monitoring groups, resulted in the deaths of thousands of non-gunmen. armed.

The Trump administration has decided to stop the refueling of the Saudi coalition's planes, following criticism of the kingdom following the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the country's consulate in Istanbul last month.

Khashoggi, who worked as a columnist for the Washington Post, was a virulent critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and his assassination in the consulate prompted many to ask the United States to punish the kingdom.

Sen. Chris MurphyChristopher (Chris) Scott MurphyMurphy easily beats Republican challenger in Connecticut Poll: Democrats front halves Ned Lamont in race to Connecticut governor FDA takes steps to demand allergy tags for the sesame MORE (D-Conn.) Friday hailed the Trump government's decision to stop refueling Saudi-led coalition aircraft, calling it "long overdue". He added in a tweet that "if refueling is a bad idea, then why always sell the bombs to the Saudis and help them choose targets?"

"It's time for EVERY WAY of this moral and strategic catastrophe," he wrote.

Sen. Bernie SandersBernard (Bernie) SandersPolls on 2020 The demo candidates are on the recognition of their name, say the Democratic investigators facing a hard battle for 2020 after giving up all chance of the blue wave pro-environment Democrats are gaining influence in Congress and in the States, but lose key allies of the GOP PLUS (I-Vt.) Said the legislation should end "the US participation in the war in Yemen as a matter of law and not just at the discretion of the president".

representative Ro KhannaRohit (Ro) KhannaNancy Pelosi starts working on his math problem during the President's vote. Mid-term president on the brink of shaking up US-Saudi defense ties for Silicon Valley: mid-term issues for defense MORE (D-Calif.) called the decision "a great victory for human rights".

[ad_2]Source link