US Halts Some Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia Over Concern About Casualties in Yemen
Source: ABC News
By JUSTIN FISHEL Dec 13, 2016, 5:33 PM ET
The United States has decided not to move forward with the sale of some munitions that would support Saudi Arabia's campaign in Yemen over concerns about civilians casualties, a senior Obama administration official confirmed to ABC News.
"We continue to have concerns about the conflict in Yemen and how it has been waged, most especially the air campaign," the official said. "Consequently, we have decided to not move forward with final approval on some sales of munitions. This reflects our continued, strong concerns with the flaws in the Coalition's targeting practices and overall prosecution of the air campaign in Yemen. We are also exploring how to refocus training for the Saudi Air Force to address these kinds of issues."
The weapons may include air-dropped, precision guided munitions according to an administration official who spoke to Reuters news service.
Saudi Arabia led a coalition of Middle Eastern countries, which intervened in Yemen's civil war in March of 2015, to help government forces defeat militant Houthi rebels aligned with Iran. Since then, the Saudi military has conducted thousand of air strikes. Human rights organizations say they are responsible for scores of civilians deaths.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/us-halts-weapons-sales-saudi-arabia-concern-casualties/story?id=44171712
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