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Saudi Arabia waging war of conquest in Yemen: Analyst

Wednesday, 24 August 2016 7:15 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 24 August 2016 7:16 AM ]

A Yemeni child, who was wounded during last week's Saudi airstrikes near the capital Sana’a, receives treatment at a hospital on August 21, 2016. (AFP photo)

Press TV has interviewed former US Senate foreign policy analyst, James Jatras, and political commentator, Jihad Mouracadeh to discuss the mounting civilian casualties in Yemen.

Jatras believes that the primary blame for civilian casualties in Yemen should be placed on Saudi Arabia which is launching a “war of conquest” in that country.

He went on to say that al-Qaeda and the Daesh Takfiri terrorists are the ones who are benefiting from the Saudi campaign in Yemen.

The analyst noted that even though the United States makes a big fuss about war against terrorism, it is not concerned about the situation in Yemen, because it is playing “geopolitical games” in the war-torn country.

Jatras further noted that the United States insists on treating Saudi Arabia as a “valued ally” despite it being one of the most “troublesome” countries in the world.

According to the analyst, there is a tendency to give the Saudis a “free right” because of the kind of influence they have in Washington both for their weapons purchases and also through their lobbying and PR campaigns.

“The Saudis are pursuing a very narrow, a very sectarian agenda internationally and in the region and causing a lot of destruction. And the question is why does the United States go along with them on this and support them every step of the way? Unfortunately a lot of it comes back to money,” he said.

Mouracadeh, for his part, said that both sides in Yemen’s war, and not just Saudi Arabia, are responsible for civilian casualties.

He also believes that the Saudis have achieved a lot in Yemen, including the removal of the Houthis from major parts of the country.

According to Mouracadeh, the United States has stopped supporting the Saudi coalition in Yemen, because they have targeted hospitals and schools despite being supplied with the coordinates.

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