US, Britain supporting Saudi strikes against Yemen: HRW
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A Yemeni man sits by the grave of a relative martyred during a Saudi airstrike at a cemetery in the capital, Sana’a, on March 25, 2016. ©AFP
A high-ranking Human Rights Watch official has criticized the United States and Britain over their support for Saudi Arabia’s deadly military campaign in Yemen through providing arms and munitions to Riyadh.
“It’s relatively well known that the US and Britain are contributing to the war effort as the lead providers of the Saudi coalition’s arsenal,” said the Executive Director of the Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa division, Sarah Leah Whitson.
She added, “Saudi Arabia has been on a global arms shopping spree and is now the world’s largest purchaser of weapons. The brutal reality is that some of these bombs have landed on innocent Yemeni men, women and children.”
“What remains unknown is the exact nature of the US and British military role in the Saudi campaign. The US Defense Department has vaguely stated that it is providing ‘targeting assistance’ which as a matter of law means it is liable for unlawful strikes in which it takes part,” Whitson further stated.
The top rights official went on to say that Britain "has said it is providing ‘military training in compliance with the laws of war’ with estimates ranging widely from six to 150 trainers."
"But what exactly are these people doing? If they are assisting with the targeting, this could make them a party to the conflict,” she said.
She further noted that many human rights groups have called for an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia.
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