Local Editor
Elizabeth Warren wants to know how American weapons ended up in the wrong hands in Yemen.
On Thursday, the US senator and Democratic presidential candidate issued a letter with 13 questions about the suspected retransfer of arms from US allies to third-party actors in the wartorn country.
Addressed to acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the letter cited evidence of arms deal violations uncovered by a CNN investigation.
"Ensuring that foreign governments do not divert American weapons to third parties is an important and necessary way to hold allies and partners accountable and protect U.S. national security," Warren wrote.
CNN's report, published earlier this month, revealed that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had transferred US-made weapons to al Qaeda-linked fighters, hardline Salafi militias, and other groups on the ground.
"If this report is true, it raises serious concerns that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other governments may have violated their end user agreements with the United States by diverting American weapons to terrorists and other violent extremists without prior authorization from the U.S. government," Warren added.
As a member of Senate Armed Services, Warren has previously questioned the Pentagon about whether they tracked US fuel and bombs used in Saudi airstrikes that killed civilians in Yemen.
To address her concerns about a potential national security threat, Warren asked Shanahan and Pompeo to explain US oversight of weapons sold to the Saudi-led coalition and other governments, its ability to track them and enforce restrictions on their retransfer.
February 9 was the deadline for US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to re-certify to Congress that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are taking adequate measures to avoid harming civilians, thereby allowing US-provided aerial refueling services to the coalition to continue. The State Department did not respond to CNN's request for comment on the certification deadline.
A war powers resolution that would require US President Trump to cut off military support to Saudi Arabia in Yemen is headed to the Senate after it was passed by the US House of Representatives last week.
Previous CNN investigations established that US-made weapons were used in a series of deadly Saudi coalition attacks that killed dozens of civilians, many of them children.
The Saudi coalition did not respond to multiple requests for comment. A senior UAE official denied "in no uncertain terms" that it had violated its end-use agreements with the US.
After CNN presented its findings, a US defense official confirmed that there was an ongoing investigation into the issue.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
