THE West has been urged to stop supplying arms to warring factions in Yemen, with weapons ending up in the hands of “unaccountable” local militias.
Investigations by the Amman-based Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism and CNN show that the arms are being used by extremist groups like al Qaeda.
Amnesty International researcher Patrick Wilcken said the issue is being perpetuated by the spread of United Arab Emirate-backed militias. He said: “Emirati forces receive billions of dollars’ worth of arms from Western states, only to siphon them off to militias in Yemen that answer to no-one and are known to be committing war crimes.”
“The proliferation of these fighting forces is a recipe for disaster for Yemeni civilians who have already been killed in their thousands, while millions more are on the brink of famine as a direct result of the war.” The UAE has not commented on the allegations.
The Saudi-led coalition, which includes the UAE, has been at war in Yemen with Iran-aligned Houthi rebels since 2015.
Germany, the Netherlands and Norway have restricted arms deals to coalition members but the UK and the US continue to supply weapons.
MEANWHILE, US president Donald Trump has assured a global coalition against Daesh that the militants will have lost all their territory in Syria by next week.
He spoke shortly before Iraqi state-sanctioned Popular Mobilisation Forces fired 50 missiles at targets in Baghouz village, Syria, in the last area of territory held by Daesh.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported shelling from the Iraqi side but had no details on casualties. Trump said the US will not relent in fighting remnants of the extremist organisation despite his decision to withdraw American troops from Syria amid objections from senior US security advisers.
ELSEWHERE, A UN expert has concluded that Saudi Arabia undermined efforts to investigate the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.
Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said it was a “brutal and premeditated killing” planned and carried out by Saudi officials.
In a statement, she added that “woefully inadequate time and access was granted to Turkish investigators to conduct a professional and effective crime scene examination and search required by international standards”.
AND finally, a former far-right politician in the Netherlands who previously said “the Quran is poison” has converted to Islam.
Ex-Party of Freedom (PVV) member Joram Van Klaveren said he made the decision while writing a book on the religion. “During that writing I came across more and more things that made my view on Islam falter,” he said in a Dutch radio interview.
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