British Paras train Saudis in secret
BRITISH paratroopers are secretly training Saudi Arabia’s army how to fire missiles, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The elite soldiers are teaching their Saudi counterparts to use the 81mm mortar, a mini-rocket system which fires high explosive rounds up to three miles.
Troops, understood to be from the Royal Engineers and Royal Logistic Corps, are also instructing Saudi soldiers how to find and defuse improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ways to improve border security.
In the wake of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, former development secretary Andrew Mitchell last night called for the UK teams to stop working with the Saudis.
‘A period of inactivity would be sensible given where we are, even though there is no doubt that the involvement of the British Army can be a force for good in underlining respect for human rights and the rules of war,’ he said.
Lord West, the former head of the Royal Navy, said: ‘Following the appalling killing of Jamal Khashoggi, we must be clear and open about the assistance we are providing to Saudi Arabia. Never has there been a greater need for transparency than now.’
A Saudi-led coalition is using rockets and airstrikes against Yemeni rebels and their allies who drove the Saudi-backed government into exile in 2015. British soldiers have trained Saudi forces throughout the conflict.
UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia are worth about £675 million a year.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘We have an ongoing and wide-ranging defence engagement relationship with Saudi Arabia, which has included the provision of training, advice and guidance in the UK and Saudi Arabia.’