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Yemen: 51 people—including 40 children killed by a U.S.-
built Mark 82 bombing of a school bus and market, on
August 9th. And other things that our government doesn't
want us to know
By mickielynn on 2018-08-17 08:00:52
[caption id="attachment_ 11507" align="alignnone" width="600"]
stent i 5 | vie - Yemeni children in the
northern Yemeni city of Saada on Monday, 8/13/18 vented their anger during a mass funeral for children killed in an
airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition on August 9th. Credit Agence France Presse[/caption] [caption id="attachment_11506"
align="alignnone" width="600"]
lea
More than 100 children
protested against the air strike in Sanaa on Sunday, 8/12/18, with placards calling on the UN to defend Yemeni lives.
Courtesy of the AnsarAllah Media Center[/caption] [caption id="attachment_ 11508" align="alignnone" width="600"]
— Graves dug for Yemeni
civilians killed by Saudi Strike on market and school bus, August 9, 2018 image AP/Getty[/caption] On Saturday, August
9th, a US bomb hit a school bus carrying boys all aged from 6 to 11 who were returning from a vacation field trip in the
rebel held area of northern Yemen. It also hit the market where the bus had stopped for snacks and drinks. By the time the
bodies were counted, 51 people, including 40 children were dead, and another 50 to 70 people, including 30 children were
severely wounded.This attack was carried out by the Saudi/UAE coalition fully supported by US weapons, intelligence,
refueling and technical support. For a description of this attack which was one of the worst on children during the more than
3 years of Saudi attacks_here's a good overview which also explores the motives for this war. [caption
lp
id="attachment_11504" align="alignleft" width="320"] US bomb used in
school bus bombing in Yemen[/caption] In addition to having saved much previously unexploded US and UK ordinance and
US made cluster bombs from the continuing war this time the tail fin of the Mark 82 bomb was found and photographed.
Also under the current US administration efforts to try and preserve civilian lives have been cut back and drone strikes are
increasing along with conventional bombings. This is what the Yemeni Minister for human rights has to say about the effect
on the future of Yemen. Since Saudi Arabia entered what had been a civil war, in the spring of 2015 the bombings and
blockades have created what is described as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. We've written about this many times
over those 3 plus years but here's the link to one such article written in 2017. [caption id="attachment_11510"
align="alignnone" width="600"]
; : “ f Cartoon showing US
complicity in starving Yemen, June 16, 2018{/caption] US and UK x weapons sales to the Saudi/UAE led coalition were
starting to be curtailed under the second term of the Obama administration when the coalition was targeting civilians and
ports of entry and vital infrastructure because of laws preventing military aid to those who killed civilians but under the
Trump administration human rights considerations are now ignored. In fact, Trump seems to see himself as a salesman for
US made weapons, and takes pride in it. And as Kathy Kelly said in her article linked above,
U.S. companies such as Raytheon, General Dynamics, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin have sold billions of
dollars’ worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the Saudi-Emirati-
led coalition which is attacking Yemen.
[caption id="attachment_ 11516" align="alignnone" width="600"]
4 President Trump highlights
arms sales during a meeting with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman in March 2018. Photo AP - Evan Vucci[/caption]
Greed and the pursuit of profit is one motive for US involvement in this war that is causing suffering to millions of people in
Yemen but there's more. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seems to be the driving force behind this war. Part of
it is to gain advantages over his stated enemy, Shiite Iran. And he is also involved in struggles for hegemony within the 7
nation Gulf Cooperation Council, an economic and military alliance. But at root what he and the coalition (which has
attacked and dis-invited Qatar) seem to be after is the rich, untapped resources and advantageous geographic location of
Yemen itself. This is described in an interview with Isa Blumi, Swedish Author and Professor at the University of
Stockholm. In the beginning of July, PBS ran a three part series done by journalist Jane Ferguson, who smuggled herself into
the Houthi part of Yemen. The second part is about 8 and a half minutes long and shows how US weapons are involved and
details much of the suffering being caused by the war. All three parts provide excellent visual and historical background.
Here's an important expose, written by Maggie Michael of AP about the fact that the US and Saudi/UAE coalition have
actually been allied with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula for the past couple of years. Instead of the military victories that
they claimed, they actually paid the AQ fighters off, allowed them to leave with their weapons and with stolen cash and even
recruited them to join the coalition against the rebels. How can peace come about so that the suffering and destruction will
end in Yemen? There are two possibilities that could lead to a negotiated peace. One being worked on by the international
community and one that is inching towards withdrawal of US weapons and support for this brutal, immoral, illegal war. On
Saturday Martin Griffiths, the UN Special Envoy to Yemen announced that consultations to establish regional peace talks
would take place in Geneva beginning on September 6th. The first goal would be to create a framework for peace talks and
confidence-building measures. if that was successful then peace talks would follow. Here at home there have been
legislative attempts to stop the US participation in Yemen, and weapons sales to the Saudis. For the first time this issue has
been debated in the US House and a non binding resolution that the war is unauthorized passed in 2017. There is no
companion bill in the US Senate. So several members of Congress attached legislation to the recently passed and signed
NDAA bill. but unfortunately there is a loophole in the form of a waiver. In an excellent article Shireen Al-Adeimi explains
"Fine Print in Defense Bill Acknowledges U.S.-Backed War in Yemen Will Go On Indefinitely" She shares my anguish that
unless some more effective action is taken the people of Yemen are going to continue to suffer, starve, and die at our hands.
Somehow we need to get Congress to act and to withdraw support for this illegal, cruel, murderous war. [caption
id="attachment_ 11509" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Outraged by the U.S.-hacked
Saudi-led bombing massacre
of school children in Ye
Tell Senator Corker and
Representatives Engel and Royce
to publicly oppose the s:
more bombs to Saudi Ar:
#divestfromwar via @codepink
Appeal for Congressional
action from Code Pink, August 14, 2018[/caption] [caption id="attachment_11505" align="alignright" width="600"]
Sou
ie
Al
cay | —— <
ay ee a
ae = A handout video grab photo
made available by the Houthi Movement showing wounded Yemeni children lying on beds receiving treatment at a hospital
after being injured in an alleged Saudi-led airstrike in the northern province of Saada, Yemen, 09 August 2018. According to
reports, an alleged Saudi-led airstrike hit a bus carrying children in a market in the northern Yemeni province of Saada,
killing at least 43 people, including children, and wounding 63 others. EPA-EFE/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
HANDOUT/[/caption] Today, Monday, August 20th, I'm adding another graphic and highlighting an amendment that
Senator Chris Murphy introduced and that will be voted on this week. There's also a petition to your Senators to sign.
It’s time for the U.S. to stop backing the death of children. Senator Chris Murphy (CT) introduced an
amendment to stop allowing US tax dollars to fund the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Tell your
Senators to support Sen. Murphy’s amendment, and stop sending bombs to kill innocent Yemenis. [caption
id="attachment_ 11546" align="alignnone" width="600"]
La
Yemen: Weapons
and what corporations profit from the killings.[/caption]
