WASHINGTON — The Pentagon and the State Department failed to investigate whether a Saudi-led coalition used U.S.-provided military support to carry out any of repeated airstrikes and other attacks that are alleged to have killed civilians in Yemen, a U.S. government report released Wednesday said.
Criticism of civilian casualties in Saudi-led coalition airstrikes that at times have hit wedding parties, funerals, hospitals and other gatherings of civilians has clouded U.S. arms sales and other military support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates since the two launched a war in Yemen in 2015.
The now 7-year war has failed in its aim of ousting Iranian-allied Houthi rebels who have seized control of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and much of the rest of Yemen's north. Under U.S., U.N. and other international mediation, all sides in the conflict have joined in what U.S. officials say is a promising but fragile truce this spring and summer.
Publication of the critical report by the Government Accountability Office comes the day after the White House confirmed that President Joe Biden plans a July trip to Saudi Arabia in a bid to bolster relations with the oil-producing kingdom.
High oil and gasoline prices are helping to drive inflation in the U.S. and threatening the prospects of Biden's Democrats and Biden himself in coming elections. Israel and other allies also have urged the U.S. president to mend relations with the Saudis,…
