US army says still helping Saudi-led coalition in Yemen

ABU DHABI: The US is still supporting the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, an American army general told AFP Sunday, days after lawmakers voted to end involvement in Riyadh’s war effort.

The US continues to “provide support to the coalition, in particular to help them... be discriminative in targeting and to minimise the risk of civilian causalities”, said Major General David C. Hill, deputy commander of US Army Central.

The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to direct President Donald Trump to end within 30 days all participation in hostilities “in or affecting Yemen”, where Washington supports the Saudiled coalition against Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

The US has been providing bombs and other weapons, as well as intelligence support, to the coalition, but announced in November it was ending refuelling of Saudi warplanes.

The World Health Organisation says some 10,000 people have been killed since the coalition intervened in 2015, but rights groups state the death toll could be five times as high.

The White House maintains close relations with Riyadh, but the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi’s Istanbul consulate in October has been followed by lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle increasingly pushing back.

Should the Senate pass the resolution on Yemen, it could force Trump to issue the first veto of his tenure. — AFP