Local Editor
More than two dozen House lawmakers are supporting a bill to halt U.S. military involvement in Saudi Arabia’s war against the Houthi movement in war-ravaged Yemen.
The bill, which requires the removal of U.S. forces from the “unauthorized hostilities” in Yemen within 30 days under the War Powers Act, was introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who told Fox News that 30 legislators -- Republicans and Democrats -- are backing the bill. He said he is optimistic the measure will reach the floor for a vote.
“Though we are in negotiations with House leadership over differences on whether this use of military support invokes the War Powers Act, I am hopeful we will see a vote on this in the coming weeks,” Khanna said.
He stressed that the bill would not prevent the Pentagon from going after Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS, which for the first time has established a foothold in Yemen.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. is behind a Saudi coalition of Arab nations that went to Yemen to restore the resigned regime of President Hadi to power.
In two years, a devastating conflict between the Saudi-backed regime and the Houthi Ansarullah movement has destroyed most of the country and claimed the lives of more than 12,000 people. It also has led to an unprecedented cholera outbreak that has infected more than 700,000 people and displaced millions in what was already deemed the poorest country in the Middle East even before the war.
The U.S. support to the Saudis has consisted of providing training, midair refueling for jets to conduct airstrikes and offering “targeting assistance” to Saudi forces on the ground.
But critics have complained that the airstrikes have killed civilians and have accused the U.S. of being partly responsible.
Even if the bill were to get through Congress, it is unlikely that President Trump will support it.
Trump has applauded the Saudi monarchy for its “strong action against Houthi militants,” and has consistently denounced Iran for attempting to spread its influence in the region.
The Yemeni regime’s Ambassador to Washington Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak has praised the Trump administration for its support.
Kamran Bokhari, a senior analyst at Geopolitical Futures, said the war is actually “creating greater room for jihadist groups (both Al Qaeda and ISIS) to operate” in Yemen, posing a greater risk to Saudi Arabia and the U.S.
Mubarak accused some in the media, the United Nations and human rights groups of shielding Iran and using misleading facts and figures to falsely paint the Saudi coalition -- including the U.S. -- as the main perpetrators of the bloodshed.
Mubarak also lashed out at a new U.N. report including the Saudi Arabia coalition on a blacklist of child rights violators in the Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict.
The report accused the coalition of attacking schools and hospitals and for killing and maiming 683 children in 2016.
The ambassador said the report was “misinformed due to the challenges the UN faced in monitoring the situation on the ground and the reliance on non-credible sources.”
Saudi Arabia’s U.N. Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi also has condemned the report.
He said the coalition’s activities in Yemen were being conducted as he described “in accordance with international legitimacy and in accordance with international law.”
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
