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U.S. lawmaker urges Saudi arms sales halt, cites possible Yemen 'war crimes'
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS | Wed Oct 12, 2016 | 1:22pm EDT
U.S. lawmaker urges Saudi arms sales halt, cites possible Yemen 'war crimes'
A U.S. lawmaker urged the Obama administration to suspend cooperation with a Saudi-led coalition conducting airstrikes in Yemen, saying in a letter released on Wednesday that civilian casualties from the strikes "appear to be the result of war crimes."
Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday, saying the coalition had conducted more than 70 "unlawful airstrikes" in Yemen.
"It appears that either the Saudi coalition is intentionally targeting civilians or they are not distinguishing between civilians and military targets. Both would be war crimes," wrote Lieu, who had taught classes on the law of war when he was a lawyer in the U.S. Air Force.
His letter increases pressure on the White House over Yemen after the administration announced Saturday it was reviewing support to the Saudi-led coalition after an air strike killed 140 mourners at a funeral.
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U.S. lawmaker urges Saudi arms sales halt, cites possible Yemen 'war crimes'
A U.S. lawmaker urged the Obama administration to suspend cooperation with a Saudi-led coalition conducting airstrikes in Yemen, saying in a letter released on Wednesday that civilian casualties from the strikes "appear to be the result of war crimes."
Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday, saying the coalition had conducted more than 70 "unlawful airstrikes" in Yemen.
"It appears that either the Saudi coalition is intentionally targeting civilians or they are not distinguishing between civilians and military targets. Both would be war crimes," wrote Lieu, who had taught classes on the law of war when he was a lawyer in the U.S. Air Force.
His letter increases pressure on the White House over Yemen after the administration announced Saturday it was reviewing support to the Saudi-led coalition after an air strike killed 140 mourners at a funeral.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-yemen-congress-idUSKCN12C1ZW
