Senator Warren Wants to Know if U.S. Weapons are Being Used by al-Qaida and Iran-Linked Groups
Senator Warren Wants to Know if U.S. Weapons are Being Used by al-Qaida and Iran-Linked Groups by Kyle Rempfer – Military Times
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter Friday to Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting information on the alleged transfer of American weapons to al-Qaida and Iran-aligned fighters.
Warren’s inquiry was prompted by a CNN report that “Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners have transferred American-made weapons to al-Qaida-linked fighters, hardline Salafi militias, and other factions waging war in Yemen.”
The CNN investigation also alleged that U.S. equipment has fallen “into the hands of Iranian-backed rebels” fighting the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, “exposing some of America’s sensitive military technology to Tehran and potentially endangering the lives of U.S. troops in other conflict zones.”
Foreign governments receiving weapons and other defense articles from the U.S. are subject to agreements that prohibit the re-transfer of those weapons to third parties without prior authorization, Warren said in her letter…