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Trump blows off congressionally mandated Yemen certification

The Donald Trump administration does not plan to provide Congress with a certification allowing US involvement in Yemen, barring the Pentagon from providing refueling again.
A boy walks at the site of a Saudi-led air strike in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, Yemen January 20, 2019. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RC1DEFA2E3D0

The Donald Trump administration won’t certify to Congress that the Saudi-led force fighting in Yemen is attempting to reduce civilian deaths in the conflict, Al-Monitor has learned, a move that would bar the Pentagon from resuming refueling to the coalition.

The decision, which had been due Feb. 9, is required by last year’s defense authorization bill but does not prevent the Pentagon from providing intelligence to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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