However, Biden’s policy ending support for offensive operations will not extend to military actions taken by the U.S. against al-Qaeda’s affiliate in the region, known as AQAP.
“It does not extend to actions against AQAP, which are actions we undertake in service of protecting the homeland and protecting American interests in the region and allies and partners,” national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House press briefing earlier Thursday.
“It extends to the types of offensive operations that have perpetuated a civil war in Yemen that has led to a humanitarian crisis,” Sullivan said.
The U.S. has informed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of its decision, Sullivan said.
He added the Biden administration halted sales of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia in order to assess potential human rights abuses.
The Yemen civil war escalated in 2014 when Houthi forces, who are in alliance with former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, took over the nation’s capital.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have carried out attacks in Yemen against the Houthis. The Saudi-led intervention in Yemen had previously enjoyed the backing of former President Donald Trump’s administration.
Trump vetoed a measure in 2019 aimed at ending U.S. military assistance and involvement in Yemen. At the time Trump said that the congressional resolution was “unnecessary” and that it endangered “the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future.”
Lawmakers who backed the measure criticized Saudi Arabia for a slew of bombing campaigns that contributed to civilian deaths in Yemen.
The United Nations has previously said that the ongoing armed conflict in Yemen has produced the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. The U.S. has provided more than $630 million in humanitarian assistance to Yemen in fiscal year 2020, according to figures provided by the State department.
— CNBC’s Christian Nunley contributed to this report from Virginia.
Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/04/biden-will-announce-end-of-us-support-for-offensive-operations-in-yemen.html
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