The Guardian: Trump’s Secret War in Yemen and the Role of the UK
YemenExtra
Y.A
US President Donald Trump has doubled the number of US air strikes in Yemen with the last year of former President Barack Obama, according to new estimates.
The rise in raids has drawn new interest from parliamentarians and human rights groups on the role of the United Kingdom in counterterrorism operations in Yemen and other countries where Britain was not at war.
The number of US air strikes in Yemen is more than doubled in 2017, and reached 93 compared with 40 in the previous year, according to figures from the US-based investigative press office in Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia.
According to a report by London-based human rights group Reprieve, at least two children were killed in US air strikes this year in Yemen, the Ahmad and Mohammad al-Khubzi brothers, who are under the age of 15.
At least 30 civilians have been killed so far this year, including 10 children, following US operations in Yemen, although the US military has not officially acknowledged the numbers. The Investigative Press Center did not record any injuries during US operations in 2016.
The United States is now raiding at least every two days. If this rate continues until the end of the year, it will represent a fivefold increase in air strikes on Yemen.
The Reprieve report is based on interviews with people from the field and press reports on US operations in Yemen. Trump has been accused of violating President Obama’s rules to limit civilian casualties when the United States carries out counterterrorism operations in countries like Yemen where it is not at war.
The organization “Reprieve” rights that there is increasing evidence of British support for US operations in Yemen and elsewhere. This includes press reports on British bases providing intelligence and operational support for UAVs, and British ground personnel in Yemen providing intelligence for target selection and drone strikes.
Earlier this year, British MP Tobias Elwood said: “We continue to work with regional and international partners to address the threat posed by terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda.
Reprieve described the escalation in US air strikes in Yemen as a “wake-up call” and called on the British government to release its covert instructions to British personnel involved in US drone strikes.
“Since taking office, President Trump has launched a number of strikes on Yemen in flagrant violation of international law, which has killed dozens of civilians,” said Katry Taylor, deputy director of Reprieve.
“The secret strikes that kill children in countries where we are not at war will do nothing to make the world safer,” she said, “and it is shameful that the United Kingdom provides logistical support for this harmful and catastrophic program.”
“The UK government should publish as soon as possible its secret guidance, the so-called common targeting policy, and clarify Britain’s role in the Trump secret war in Yemen.”
“President Trump’s plans to give greater authority to the CIA to conduct secret drone raids are far from public scrutiny,” said Clive Lewis, chairman of the party’s parliamentary group on drones and former shadow defense secretary. The rules of engagement should be real and immediate global concern.
He added that the UK government should provide assurances to the parliament that sharing intelligence.
The number of US drone strikes by 2017 is not known.
In March, Trump removed Yemen from restrictions imposed by Obama to reduce civilian casualties and reduce conditions in which the United States carries out counterterrorism operations in non-war countries, including Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia.
The Trump administration is now preparing to continue to break the boundaries of Obama’s main era of drone strikes and commando operations outside conventional battlefields, including expanding the CIA’s drone strikes in a number of countries both within and outside war zones.
While officials agreed that they would continue to be an important barrier to these attacks, questioning that civilians would not be killed still continued. The raids were criticized as they could lead to additional casualties.
The Joint Commission on Human Rights has raised strong concerns about the United Kingdom’s involvement in the US direct killing program, noting that British intelligence services are working with the United States.
The parliamentary group of all parties is investigating how the UK is working with allies and coalition partners in the use of drones. It is expected to make recommendations on transparency and accountability by the end of the year.
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