Contrary to Public Statements, Obama Admin Fueled Conflict in Yemen

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Source: Salon

The Obama administration supplied emergency arms shipments to Saudi Arabia to aid the Saudis' attacks on a Northern Yemeni rebel group late last year, according to a cable released by WikiLeaks -- a revelation that is directly at odds with a public statement at the time by the top State Department spokesman, who flatly insisted that the U.S. had no military role in the conflict.

The December 2009 cable, released this week and flagged by Spencer Ackerman, describes fighting between the governments of Yemen and Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebel group in northern Yemen, along the Saudi border. The Houthis are a Shia group who have been fighting with the central Yemeni government for years, with devastating effects for the civilian population. Beginning in October 2009, Saudi Arabia became engaged in several months fighting against the Houthis on both sides of the border.

The Dec. 30 State Department cable from Riyadh described the Saudi assault as the use of "massively disproportionate force in effort to repel and clear the lightly armed Houthi guerillas from the border area." The cable then describes the secret American role in the conflict over the previous two months (emphasis ours):

During the campaign, the Saudi military turned to the U.S. for emergency provision of munitions, imagery and intelligence to assist them to operate with greater precision. The U.S. military responded with alacrity to the extent possible, primarily by flying in stocks of ammunition for small weapons and artillery. However, the great majority of Saudi requests remain bogged down in the FMS contacting process or in interagency reviews.

Now, what was the State Department saying publicly at the time about the Houthi conflict? Here is a Dec. 15 exchange on the topic between a reporter and Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley:

QUESTION: On the conflict in Yemen, Houthis say that U.S. warplanes have launched airstrikes in northern Yemen. Is the U.S. involved in any military operations in Yemen?

MR. CROWLEY: No.

QUESTION: No?

MR. CROWLEY: But we – those kinds of reports keep cropping up. We do not have a military role in this conflict.

more: http://www.salon.com/news/wikileaks/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2010/12/09/obama_yemen_saudi_houthi_conflict

[tekisui]

1. The statements made by our government cannot be trusted. Period.

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2. K/R