The US administration has confirmed that it has sent investigators to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, after reports of weapons appearing in the possession of militants in Yemen, which Washington exported to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Earlier this month, the State Department said in a letter to Democratic Senator and possible presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren that “insufficient repeated answers” from Riyadh and Abu Dhabi had hampered the investigation by the State and Defense Departments over the publication of CNN.
In February, a report revealed the sale of US-made armored vehicles to armed groups in Yemen, and fighters linked to al-Qaeda and separatist elements.
The US State Department said in a letter that a joint delegation, including the Pentagon, visited the UAE on September 15-21 to ascertain the fate of the vehicles, which were eventually used against Yemeni government forces.
The letter states that these visits are intended to “see the full account of the circumstances surrounding this equipment and any possible breach of agreements” between Washington and its Gulf allies, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
