While Congress is still debating if they should step in and stop the Trump regime from selling weapons to the Saudis because those weapons have been used to kill women and children in Yemen, CNN reports that many of our weapons are ending up in the hands of radical militias and other unsavory actors.
CNN reports that Saudi Arabia and their coalition partner, the United Arab Emirates, are freely giving away the weapons in exchange for loyalty.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, its main partner in the war, have used the US-manufactured weapons as a form of currency to buy the loyalties of militias or tribes, bolster chosen armed actors, and influence the complex political landscape, according to local commanders on the ground and analysts who spoke to CNN.
By handing off this military equipment to third parties, the Saudi-led coalition is breaking the terms of its arms sales with the US, according to the Department of Defense. After CNN presented its findings, a US defense official confirmed there was an ongoing investigation into the issue. [...]
Some terror groups have gained from the influx of US arms, with the barrier of entry to advanced weaponry now lowered by the laws of supply and demand. Militia leaders have had ample opportunity to obtain military hardware in exchange for the manpower to fight the Houthi militias. Arms dealers have flourished, with traders offering to buy or sell anything, from a US-manufactured rifle to a tank, to the highest bidder.
CNN also reports that Iranian-backed forces who oppose the Saudi coalition have obtained some of our weapons because they were resold or stolen after the Saudis gave them away.
In short, it's one big clusterfucker that we're increasingly responsible for supporting; that Trump is responsible for supporting.
It was not that long ago that Trump ran public interference for the Saudis following the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump shielded the Saudi regime from responsibility in the name of arms sales; arms that are ending up in the hands of both sides of the conflict.
So long as he makes it his personal mission to preserve a financial relationship with the Saudis, Trump is more directly responsible for this than any other one person.