US to keep aiding Saudis in Yemen despite furore, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says
- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, while acknowledging the humanitarian crisis in the country, said military support would continue
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed on Saturday that the United States would continue supporting Saudi Arabia’s military campaign in Yemen, despite rising outrage over the kingdom.
Speaking from a Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, Pompeo acknowledged that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen – where millions are at risk of starvation – had reached “epic proportions” but said Washington and Riyadh were offering aid.
“The programme that we’re involved in today we intend to continue,” Pompeo told CNN when asked about military assistance to the Saudi-led coalition.
The US Senate on Wednesday took an initial vote to cut off the war support, with 14 members of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party defying appeals from Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis.
A final vote could come in the next week, setting the stage for a fresh battle if Trump vetoes the bill.
Pompeo, who met in Buenos Aires with his Saudi counterpart, has backed the war as a way to counter Iran, which has ties to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.