The content below comes from the newsletter This Week in War Powers News, provided by the Committee for Responsible Foreign Policy.
Yemen’s Marib City Battens Down as Houthis Advance Through Energy-Rich Province
Expecting a possible siege, pro-government forces in central Yemen are preparing to defend Marib city, their last northern stronghold, against advancing Houthi fighters bent on taking full control of one of Yemen’s key energy-producing regions.
Should Marib governorate fall to the Houthis it would deal a blow to the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia that has been battling the Iran-aligned group for over six years and to United Nations-led peace efforts.
The looming battle for Marib city would also put at risk its population of three million people, including nearly 1 million who fled other parts of Yemen since it became ensnared in a regional power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarea announced on Tuesday they had seized Marib’s al-Jubah and Jabal Murad districts, after last month taking al-Abdiyah and Harib, saying “our mujahideen continue the march towards Marib city.” READ MORE
DoD Says Botched Afghanistan Airstrike in Final Days of War Was Due to Rushed, Poor Planning
A Defense Department review found that a U.S. airstrike in Kabul that killed 10 civilians during the chaotic final days of the Afghanistan war in August was the fault of poor intelligence and rushed decision-making, but it did not violate any laws.
“It’s not criminal conduct or negligence,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Sami Said, who led the review, told reporters Wednesday during a Pentagon press briefing, but was short on the specifics on how the airstrike failed. No enemy combatants were killed, and the deaths of innocent civilians marred the conclusion of a two-decade war. READ MORE
The US Just Got Out of Afghanistan and It’s Already at Risk of Getting Sucked Into Another Country’s War
While the longest war in US history is finally over, the United States still has business to attend to in Afghanistan.
US troops may no longer be huddling in large bases on the outskirts of Kabul or engaging in counterinsurgency operations, but the Biden administration has been clear that the US will conduct over-the-horizon counterterrorism strikes if the situation calls for it.
US officials are currently seeking arrangements with Afghanistan’s neighbors to make those over-the-horizon strikes easier to execute. Washington is reportedly negotiating with Pakistan for long-term access to its airspace in exchange for assisting Islamabad with its own counterterrorism operations. READ MORE
