US Air Force Refueling of Saudi Warplanes in Yemen Continues

92.3 million pounds of fuel given to 'coalition' planes since war began

New data from the US Air Force shows that the refueling operation for the Saudi-led war in Yemen is continuing apace with no sign of slowing. The US has refueled Saudi warplanes attacking Yemen since April of 2015.

Central Command revealed that the US has conducted 2,919 sorties, offloading 92.3 million pounds of fuel since the war began. The statement confirmed this was “in support of US missions and Saudi and Emirate operations against threats throughout the horn of Africa.”

US involvement in the Yemen War has been extremely controversial, with Congress once again working on a bill aiming to compel the administration to stop participating. The war was never authorized by the US Congress.

Refueling is the primary US operation in Yemen, which is a particularly controversial part of the war, since Saudi airstrikes have been killing massive numbers of Yemeni civilians in the course of the war.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.