Bolstering the already overwhelming case for cutting off U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia’s years-long assault on Yemen, a “bombshell” CNN investigation published late Monday found that the Saudis have sold or freely “passed on” American weapons to al-Qaeda fighters and other militia groups that have helped create the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
“The ‘beautiful military equipment’ Trump sold Saudi Arabia and UAE is now in the hands of al-Qaeda aligned militias. One group drives U.S. made armored vehicles now. This is what happens when you flood a war zone with more weapons.”
—Sen. Chris Murphy
According to CNN, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have for years been transferring “American-made weapons to al-Qaeda-linked fighters, hardline Salafi militias, and other factions waging war in Yemen… as a form of currency to buy the loyalties of militias or tribes, bolster chosen armed actors, and influence the complex political landscape.”
Citing analysts and local commanders on the ground in Yemen—where an estimated 14 million people are on the brink of famine due to the U.S.-backed Saudi assault—CNN reported that “terror groups have gained from the influx of U.S. arms, with the barrier of entry to advanced weaponry now lowered by the laws of supply and demand.”
“Militia leaders have had ample opportunity to obtain military hardware in exchange for the manpower to fight the Houthi militias,” CNN‘s exclusive report found. “Arms dealers have flourished, with traders offering to buy or sell anything, from a U.S.-manufactured rifle to a tank, to the highest bidder.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) went on to add that the CNN report confirms once again “that the Saudis can’t be trusted.”
“This is yet another reason to pass the War Powers Resolution this month and end our involvement in their war in Yemen,” the congressman declared.
Watch CNN‘s segment on its findings:
The Department of Defense told CNN that “the Saudi-led coalition is breaking the terms of its arms sales with the U.S.” by handing weapons to al-Qaeda, and confirmed that there is an “ongoing investigation into the issue.”
Stephen Miles, director of Win Without War, called CNN‘s report “example number 7,439” of “how backwards and counterproductive our bipartisan obsession with arming the world is.”