The International Crisis Group has urged the United States to help its ally, Saudi Arabia, to find a way out of its deadly war on Yemen that has left the kingdom sapped of resources and reputation.

Iran Press/Europe: The group, which is committed to resolving conflicts, said in a study on Sunday that the Saudi-led coalition needs to stop thinking about how to eke out some notional victory.

The International Crisis Group added that the alliance should instead commit itself wholly to finding a political exit, regardless of whether that means empowering the Houthis more than it is comfortable with in the short term, Iran Press reported.

 

The ICG report comes after the US Congress voted to end Washington's support for Saudi Arabia's war against Yemen in response to persistent civilian casualties and widespread hunger in the improvised country as well as Saudi Arabia's killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. President Donald Trump has threatened to veto the bill, but has not yet done so.

The report called on the US to appoint a special envoy and freeze most of its arms exports to Saudi Arabia until the kingdom ends its military campaign against Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating campaign on March 26, 2015, with the aim of bringing a former government to power and crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement. Riyadh has failed to fulfill its objectives.

The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has already said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.

Yemenis have been carrying out retaliatory attacks on the Saudi forces deployed in the country as well as targets inside Saudi Arabia. 105/207

 

 

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