Saudi-led coalition working to reduce civilian deaths in Yemen - US State Department
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in
Yemen is taking steps to reduce civilian casualties, the U.S. State Department
said on Thursday as it defended a certification to Congress by Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo to avoid limits on U.S. aid to the kingdom.
"They are taking steps, in the view of the U.S.
government and this administration, in the right direction," State
Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing. "We see them taking
steps. Is it perfect? No absolutely not. Do we see them doing what they can to
mitigate civilian casualties? Absolutely we do," she added.
Her comments came a day after Pompeo told Congress
that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were working to reduce civilian
casualties. Without that certification, U.S. tanker aircraft would have been
restricted in refuelling Saudi coalition planes conducting strikes against the
Iranian-backed rebels.
