U.S. Intervention in Yemen Called Into Question by Congress

This week, Yemen’s young prince, Mohammed bin Salman, will be arriving in Washington to meet with President Trump. This talk’s significance lies in the context that the Trump administration has been trying to push back the bipartisan Congressional resistance against American military support in Yemen towards the Saudi-led bombing campaign.

The State Department has approved of over $1 billion dollars in new arms and weapons sent to the Saudis, yet receiving pushback from lawmakers, who are wary that the Saudis might get away without retribution for their aggression and stakes in the conflict. This bombing campaign has become one of the most violent and deadly humanitarian crises in history, as 10,000 civilians have been killed and 40,000 wounded according to statistics released by the United Nations.

State Department and Pentagon officials have expressed wariness that this measure could damage United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia. The United States has been supporting the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen with military advice and intelligence analysis, and the Defense Secretary, Jim Mattis, wrote in a letter to Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky that new regulations on U.S. military support “could increase civilian casualties, jeopardize cooperation with our partners on counterterrorism and reduce our influence with the Saudis.”

U.S. aid towards the Saudis has been one of controversy and contradiction. While Washington is selling a large amount of ammunition and arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Pentagon has insisted that U.S. aid towards the Saudis have been leading to fewer casualties with their military advice and noncombat assistance.

This statement is put into question by Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican and co-sponsor of the resolution: “The U.S. government claims that it’s not engaged in hostiles unless U.S. troops are on the ground being shot at by the enemy. It stretches the imagination, and it stretches the English language beyond its breaking point, to suggest the U.S. military is not engaged in hostiles in Yemen.”

Other criticisms include accusations of the Pentagon’s complicity in pushing forward the bombing campaign. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii said: “We are enabling the Saudis to continue their battle there.” These comments were responded by General Joseph L. Votel, the head of the Pentagon’s Central Command, who said that the United States is not a part of this conflict, but just a stakeholder.

According to Pentagon officials, American involvement in this conflict is not a direct execution of the bombings or appointment of target selection; rather they merely give military advice and intelligent suggestions that ensure the security of mosques and marketplaces to avoid large-scale anti-humanitarian destruction. In General Votel’s words, “We can help them. We can advise them. We can share our lessons learned on how to more effectively apply their capabilities.”

Questions and criticism from human rights group regarding Saudi Arabia’s promise to minimize the killing of civilians have put the United States in a tricky position, putting its humanitarian agenda throughout history into question. Last year, Mr. Trump offered a $110 billion arms package to Saudi Arabia and these ammunitions imported from the US has been used in at least four Saudi-led strikes and attacks on civilians, according to a May 2017 report from Human Rights Watch.

How the United States and the Trump administration will proceed is now under the spotlight of both Human Rights Watch and the Congress and President Trump’s meeting with the young prince this coming week will determine whether the measure will be put into place.

Featured Image via Wikimedia