Pentagon: No more refueling of Saudi aircraft bombing Yemen

Source: Politico




The move was hailed by critics of the U.S. role in the civil war but they called for halting other support.

By WESLEY MORGAN 11/09/2018 11:04 PM EST

The decision to halt refueling warplanes from Saudi Arabia and its allies bombing rebels in Yemen was hailed Friday by Democrats and other longtime supporters of curtailing the Pentagon's support for what they consider an unlawful use of American forces that has contributed to a humanitarian disaster.

But they also called on President Donald Trump and members of Congress to take additional steps -- including cutting off arms and ending the sharing of targeting information -- to further extricate the U.S. military from involvement in Yemen's civil war.

Late Friday , Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis confirmed the decision in a statement saying "we support the decision by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after consultations with the U.S. Government, to use the Coalition's own military capabilities to conduct inflight refueling in support of its operations in Yemen."

The move, first reported by the Washington Post, was hailed as a positive step by those who have been urging the Trump administration to cut off the Saudis and its allies in the conflict, including the United Arab Emirates.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/09/saudi-arabia-yemen-bombing-pentagon-refueling-982924