The decision to halt refueling warplanes from Saudi Arabia and its allies bombing rebels in Yemen was hailed Friday by Democrats and other longtime supporters of curtailing the Pentagon’s support for what they consider an unlawful use of American forces that has contributed to a humanitarian disaster. But they also called on President Donald Trump and members of Congress to take additional steps — including cutting off arms and ending the sharing of targeting information — to further extricate the U.S. military from involvement in Yemen’s civil war. Story Continued Below Late Friday , Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis confirmed the decision in a statement saying “we support the decision by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after consultations with the U.S. Government, to use the Coalition’s own military capabilities to conduct inflight refueling in support of its operations in Yemen.” The move, first reported by the Washington Post, was hailed as a positive step by those who have been urging the Trump administration to cut off the Saudis and its allies in the conflict, including the United Arab Emirates. “By finally ending refueling missions for Saudi bombers, the Trump administration is admitting our joint operation in Yemen has been a disaster,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat and member of the Foreign Relations Committee. Also calling the move “a major victory,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a vocal advocate of barring U.S. military support to the Saudi-led coalition, said Congress must also pass a resolution that would “ensure that all… [Read full story]
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