UK’s secret role in Saudis’ dirty war
MoS finds proof Scots troops are training army that’s left a million on brink of starvation
THE British Army is secretly training Saudi Arabian troops to fight in Yemen, where the country has been accused of committing crimes against humanity, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Up to 50 UK military personnel have been teaching battlefield skills to soldiers who will be deployed in the so-called ‘dirty war’. Thousands of civilians have been killed in bombing raids and an estimated one million children are facing starvation and serious illness as a result of the conflict.
The Army’s involvement is part of Britain’s ‘shameful complicity’ in the suffering, according to Tory MP and former Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell. The training mission – codenamed Operation Crossways – came to light only after the Army released photos and information by mistake.
The United Nations is investigating the situation in Yemen, describing it as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Some 10,000 people have died since the conflict between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and rebels supported by Iran began in 2015.
Recently a Saudi blockade of Yemen’s ports brought the country to the edge a famine, with the charity Unicef predicting 150,000 children could die by the end of 2017.
Last night, Mr Mitchell demanded that the UK Government provide answers in the Commons about Britain’s role in Saudi military operations.
He said: ‘The UK has been shamefully complicit in Saudi’s role in Yemen, which has clearly included breaches of the Geneva Conventions. I have no doubt Parliament will require an explanation of this training mission in view of the high level of concern about the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Yemen.’
Operation Crossways involved troops from 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 Scots) teaching ‘Irregular Warfare’ (IW) techniques to officers from the Royal Saudi Land Forces Infantry Institute.
IW is a collective name for specific tactics used by conventional armies to defeat terrorist groups. In Yemen, Saudi soldiers are fighting against an Iranian-backed paramilitary force known as the Houthi rebels.
Due to the concern surrounding Saudi Arabia’s military operations in Yemen, Operation Crossways was never supposed to be made public. It came to light only after a mission summary and photographs were inadvertently posted on 2 Scots’ Facebook page earlier this month.
In one picture a British instructor is seen standing in front of a map showing Yemen and the surrounding region as he explains a possible attacking strategy. The MoD attempted to launch a cover-up after the MoS brought the
images to the attention of defence officials. Within 20 minutes of a reporter contacting the MoD, the images and the summary had been removed from the Facebook page.
Last night, former head of the Royal Navy, Lord West, demanded transparency over the UK’s role in training Saudi troops. He said: ‘Given the sensitivities surrounding Saudi Arabia and Yemen at the moment it would be better to be open about what we are doing. Our training will hopefully save lives.’
A serving senior British Army officer who chose to remain anonymous added: ‘There will be serious concern that this mission has leaked out given the sensitivities of Saudi’s role in the Yemen conflict.’
The MoS can also reveal the British training mission has involved Explosive Ordnance Disposal officers from the Royal Logistic Corps teaching Saudi troops how to defuse roadside bombs. The UK has been heavily criticised for selling billions of pounds of military equipment to Saudi Arabia, in particular as British-made bombs are understood to have been used in the Saudis’ aerial bombardment of Yemen.
The MoD said: ‘The UK is not training the Saudi Armed Forces in irregular activity but is providing courses in how to counter it.’