UK Trains Saudi Pilots Amid Allegations of War Crimes in Yemen

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The fact was discovered by the UK Liberal Democrats, who described the revelation as “shameful” and called for immediate suspension of the training, according to the Independent newspaper.

"It is shameful that the UK Government is not only arming Saudi pilots, it is training them as well. The indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, in clear breach of international humanitarian law, is now well documented. The Government must end its complicity in this murderous campaign,” Tom Brake, the spokesman of the Liberal Democrats party, was quoted as saying by the Independent newspaper.

The UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said in response that the collaboration with the Royal Saudi Air Force was aimed at improving their targeting processes, the newspaper said.

On October 8, the airstrike hit the funeral ceremony in Sanaa. According to UN estimates, the attack claimed over 140 lives and left more than 525 people wounded, while media suggested that 213 people may have been killed. AT first, the Saudi-led Arab coalition denied allegations of the Houthi rebels that it was involved in the incident, however, later it agreed to investigate the matter.

Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Houthi rebels since 2014. The Houthis are backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the opposition Houthis at the request of Hadi.