What's up with Yemen?

[Bengalzona]

(02-22-2019, 12:06 PM)Dill Wrote: Yes, and then their "friends" (lol the "friends" of our "friends"), shift sides. 

So the weapons don't go to the Houthi, but they do sift into AQ and ISIS units--not our "friends," but friends of their "friends."

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/02/middleeast/yemen-lost-us-arms/

Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners have transferred American-made weapons to al Qaeda-linked fighters, hardline Salafi militias, and other factions waging war in Yemen, in violation of their agreements with the United States, a CNN investigation has found.

The weapons have also made their way into the hands of Iranian-backed rebels battling the coalition for control of the country, exposing some of America's sensitive military technology to Tehran and potentially endangering the lives of US troops in other conflict zones.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, its main partner in the war, have used the US-manufactured weapons as a form of currency to buy the loyalties of militias or tribes, bolster chosen armed actors, and influence the complex political landscape, according to local commanders on the ground and analysts who spoke to CNN.

By handing off this military equipment to third parties, the Saudi-led coalition is breaking the terms of its arms sales with the US, according to the Department of Defense. After CNN presented its findings, a US defense official confirmed there was an ongoing investigation into the issue.

The revelations raise fresh questions about whether the US has lost control over a key ally presiding over one of the most horrific wars of the past decade, and whether Saudi Arabia is responsible enough to be allowed to continue buying the sophisticated arms and fighting hardware.  Previous CNN investigations established that US-made weapons were used in a series of deadly Saudi coalition attacks that killed dozens of civilians, many of them children.

Wait! maybe I spoke too soon!

In September 2017, a Houthi-run TV channel broadcast images of Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the de facto rebel leader, proudly sitting behind the wheel of a captured US-made MRAP in the capital Sanaa, as a crowd chanted "death to America" in the background.

It's pretty much an arms free-for-all over there now. As Fred mentioned, the region has been flooded with weapons. While we can tell where 'our' captured weapons have been, we have no idea where existing or new weapons are going. This is like the CIA version of the FBI's failed "Fast and Furious" operation, except that there are no political entities in the U.S. who care to oppose it.

[Dill]

(02-22-2019, 01:24 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: It's pretty much an arms free-for-all over there now. As Fred mentioned, the region has been flooded with weapons. While we can tell where 'our' captured weapons have been, we have no idea where existing or new weapons are going. This is like the CIA version of the FBI's failed "Fast and Furious" operation, except that there are no political entities in the U.S. who care to oppose it.

NO!   We got 'lizbeth!

Warren's questions about US oversight of weapons
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/22/middleeast/yemen-us-weapons-report-elizabeth-warren-intl/index.html

Elizabeth Warren wants to know how American weapons ended up in the wrong hands in Yemen.

On Thursday, the US senator and Democratic presidential candidate issued a letter with 13 questions about the suspected retransfer of arms from US allies to third-party actors in the wartorn country.

Addressed to acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the letter cited evidence of arms deal violations uncovered by a CNN investigation.

"Ensuring that foreign governments do not divert American weapons to third parties is an important and necessary way to hold allies and partners accountable and protect U.S. national security," Warren wrote. 

Iranians reverse engineering US MRAPs to figure out how better to defeat their armor is now a big worry too.