The United States will continue backing the Saudi-led war on Yemen, says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, despite a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country and outrage over the kingdom in the wake of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
“The program that we’re involved in today we intend to continue,” Pompeo said, speaking from a Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
Yet, he acknowledged that the crisis in Yemen has reached “epic proportions.”
In a rare classified briefing on Wednesday, Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis tried to convince US senators to allow the assistance to continue, but to no avail.
Although the White House had urged a “no” vote, American senators voted 63-37 to consider ending Washington’s support for the Saudi-led aggression on Yemen.
The exact same measure had failed on the chamber’s floor in a 55 to 44 vote in March.
US President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Saudi Crown Prince…