Lawmakers seek ‘urgent briefing’ on U.S. arms in hands of al Qaeda

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is demanding answers from the Trump administration about reports that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates may have transferred American-made weapons to al Qaeda-linked extremist groups in Yemen.

Led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, New York Democrat, the lawmakers called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan to hold an “urgent briefing” on details of the suspected arms transfer, first reported by CNN.

“These unauthorized transfers of U.S. equipment and weapons by the Saudi and UAE governments represent a clear national security risk to the U.S. and our interests and a serious violation of existing bilateral agreements pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act,” the lawmakers wrote.

The investigation detailed efforts by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to make unauthorized transfers of U.S. weapons and equipment to extremist groups fighting in Yemen including the Abu Abbas Brigade which is connected to al Qaeda in the region, and Alwiyat al-Aamlga, also known as the “Giants Brigade,” in an effort to gain influence in the brutal Yemeni civil war.

CNN also reported that the Saudi military may have airdropped U.S.-made anti-tank missiles in the same area that al Qaeda was operating.

“The evident failure to protect sensitive U.S. military technology may enable our adversaries in Yemen and across the Middle East to advance and develop weapons capable of penetrating mine and IED-resistant vehicles as well as jam or otherwise counter U.S. communications technologies aboard such vehicles,” lawmakers warned in the letter.

Observers of the conflict in Yemen say it has produced massive civilian casualties, displaced 3 million Yemenis and sparked what aid groups call the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.