US senators call on Pentagon to fully disclose role in Yemen war

Three US senators have called on the Pentagon to immediately disclose its role in the ongoing Saudi-led military operation on Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hudaydah, which has left millions of Yemenis at risk of starvation.

A letter signed on Friday by senators Bernie Sanders, Mike Lee and Chris Murphy, called on Defense Secretary James Mattis to reveal any role that “the Pentagon is currently performing” in Hudaydah.

“We call on you to immediately disclose the full extent of the US military role in the Saudi-led war against Yemen’s Houthis, including the use of special operations forces; disclose any role that the Pentagon is currently performing, has been asked to perform, or is considering performing regarding an attack on the port of Hudaydah,” read the letter.

They also called on Mattis to “issue a public declaration opposing this impending assault and restating the [Trump] administration’s position that Saudi Arabia and other parties to the conflict should accept an immediate ceasefire and move toward a political settlement to resolve the conflict.”

Hudaydah, a major lifeline for millions of Yemenis, has been under attack from the air and ground by the Arab alliance since Wednesday. The alliance is intent on capturing the port city in the hope of tilting the balance against the Houthi Ansarullah movement, which has been defending the country against the Saudi-led operation.

The alliance has been pounding Yemen since March 2015 to restore its former Saudi-friendly government. The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have warned that at least eight million of Yemen’s estimated 28 million people are at risk of starvation.

The recent attacks on the port city have even deteriorated the situation by disrupting the delivery of food and other supplies to Yemenis.

In the meantime, the US and the United Kingdom blocked a Swedish proposal in the UN Security Council, which was calling for the Saudi alliance to implement a ceasefire in the nation.

Currently, the United States is supporting Riyadh in its military campaign against Yemen; providing weapons to both the kingdom and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which plays a crucial role in the Yemen conflict.

Back in March, the State Department announced it had approved the sale of an estimated $670 million in anti-tank missiles to the kingdom. The proposed package includes up to 6,700 missiles, spare parts for American-made tanks and helicopters owned by Riyadh.

The deal was announced just hours after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Pentagon leaders to discuss the Saudi-led military operation in Yemen.

This is while both Republicans and Democrats are appeared to be increasingly frustrated over Washington’s military support for Saudi Arabia.

More than three years of war against the country have also been harshly criticized by human aid agencies as well as the United Nations for the large number of civilian casualties there.

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