U.S. limits arms sales to Saudi amid concern over Yemen air strikesDecember 14, 2016 - 15:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. has said it will limit arms sales to Saudi Arabia amid concerns over civilian casualties linked to air strikes in Yemen, according to BBC News. Precision-guided weapons will no longer be delivered, a Pentagon official said. President Barack Obama's administration said it was concerned over "flaws" in the way air strikes are targeted in Yemen. In October, more than 140 people were killed in a strike on a funeral in the country. A Saudi-led coalition, which is attempting to support the elected government against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, was blamed for the attack. White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price later warned Saudi Arabia that U.S. security co-operation was "not a blank cheque". But while some sales are being scaled back, the U.S. said it will continue to provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence focused on border security. It will also provide training for pilots involved in the Saudi-led air campaign, to avoid civilian casualties wherever possible, the official said. Other contracts are expected to go ahead such as a deal worth more than $3bn (£2.4bn) to supply military helicopters. The Saudi-led coalition is fighting the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen. Thousands of civilians have been killed and nearly three million people have been displaced in the country, one of the region's poorest, since the war began in 2014. The Houthis took the capital Sanaa, forcing Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi's government to flee. Some ministers have since returned to the city of Aden. Saudi Arabia has denied causing large-scale civilian deaths, saying it is making every effort to avoid hitting civilian targets. Photo: Reuters Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. |