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The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA)
Contact: Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167

As Saudi Arabia Escalates Bombing of Yemen, Dozens Killed at Camp

The Los Angeles Times is reporting: "As a Saudi Arabia-led coalition pounded rebel positions across Yemen with airstrikes Monday, an apparent aerial bombardment hit a camp for displaced persons near the border of the two countries, killing dozens of people, aid workers said." See Twitter feed on the crisis.

WASHINGTON

The Los Angeles Times is reporting: "As a Saudi Arabia-led coalition pounded rebel positions across Yemen with airstrikes Monday, an apparent aerial bombardment hit a camp for displaced persons near the border of the two countries, killing dozens of people, aid workers said." See Twitter feed on the crisis.

In related news regarding the Saudi regime, see from the Washington Post: "How Saudi Arabia turned Sweden's human rights criticisms into an attack on Islam."

AJAMU BARAKA, ajamubaraka2 at gmail.com
Baraka is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies who is based in Colombia. He recently wrote the piece "Saudi Arabia Invasion of Yemen Perpetuates Chaos and Lawlessness in Middle-East," which states: "The intervention by the Saudis ... continues the international lawlessness that the U.S. precipitated with its War on Terror over the last decade and a half. ... U.S. and Saudi geo-strategic interest in containing the influence of Iran has trumped international law and any concerns about the lives of the people of Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Bahrain."

ALI AL-AHMED, alialahmedx at gmail.com, @AliAlAhmed_en
Director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, al-Ahmed is a noted critic of the Saudi regime.

WILLIAM PICARD, picard at yemenpeaceproject.org, @yemenpeacenews
Picard is executive director of the Yemen Peace Project.

WILLIAM HARTUNG, whartung at ciponline.org, @WilliamHartung
Hartung is director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy and author of Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex.

He said today: "The Saudi intervention in Yemen is just the latest example of the potentially disastrous consequences of runaway U.S. arms exports to the Persian Gulf. The Obama administration has set new records for the value of U.S. weapons deals with the Saudi regime, approving over $40 billion in new agreements in the past few years alone. The Saudis have used U.S.-supplied weaponry to help put down the democracy movement in Bahrain, and now to expand the conflict in Yemen to the point that it may spark a region-wide war. In addition, over $500 million in U.S weaponry destined for Yemeni security forces has gone missing, and may have found its way to Houthi forces or even to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The faction of the Yemeni army that has joined hands with the Houthi rebellion has ample U.S.-supplied armaments as well. It's hard to imagine a clearer example of the negative consequences of aggressive arms dealing than the current situation in Yemen."

Background: See Washington Post: "Pentagon loses track of $500 million in weapons, equipment given to Yemen."

See this piece from The Real News on Saudi repression of Bahrain.

Profile of U.S. military and police aid to Yemen by the Security Assistance Monitor.

A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.