Sen. Warren to U.S. CENTCOM: Do You Have Any Idea What U.S Bombs Are Used for in Yemen?

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The head of U.S. Central Command — which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia — stressed that the Pentagon doesn’t know much about the Saudi airstrikes in Yemen that the United States is supporting through intelligence, arms, and refueling.

U.S. CENTCOM Commander General Joseph Votel made the admission in response to asked questions from Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“General Votel, does CENTCOM track the purpose of the operations it is refueling? In other words, where a U.S.-refueled aircraft is heading, what targets it strikes, and the result of the mission?” Warren asked.

“Senator, we do not,” Votel replied.

Warren then mentioned an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition that struck civilians in February. The attack, in the northern Yemen town of Saada, killed five civilians. Medical staff who rushed in to help any survivors left were hit in a follow-up attack, Warren noted. (This is known as a “double tap” airstrike.)

“General Votel, when you get reports like this from credible media organizations or outside observers, is CENTCOM able to tell if U.S. fuel or U.S. missiles were used in that strike?”

“No, Senator, I don’t believe we are,” he replied.

Since the Yemen war started three years ago, the Saudi-led coalition has killed thousands of civilians, in addition to its strikes on hospitals and civilian centers. U.S. tankers refuel Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and other coalition members warplanes, raising questions about American culpability in war crimes.

Last month, Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; and Mike Lee, R-Utah introduced a resolution designed to end U.S. involvement in the war. In response to Votel’s answers, Warren said the lack of clarity about the specific role of the U.S. military in the conflict is one of the reasons she is backing the Sanders-Lee proposal.

“We need to be clear about this: Saudi Arabia’s the one receiving American weapons and American support. And that means we bear some responsibility here. And that means we need to hold our partners and our allies accountable for how those resources are used,” she said.

The Sanders-Lee proposal would invoke the War Powers Act to force a debate on limiting U.S. involvement in Yemen to missions that combat ”ISIS”. Crucially, it would withdraw support for the Saudi-led war. Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has started a military campaign on Yemen.