BRITISH support of the Saudi Arabian military “should appal us all”, according to the SNP's spokesman for international affairs, amid claims that Scottish regiment has been training a Saudi unit in Yemen.
The role of the UK armed forces in the conflict has come under scrutiny after a picture was posted on a Scottish battalion Facebook page which appeared to members of 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 Scots) helping to train Saudi troops.
The battalion are said to be teaching Irregular Warfare (IW) techniques to officers from the Royal Saudi Land Forces Infantry Institute.
IW is a collective name for specific tactics used by conventional armies to defeat terrorist groups.
While the material has since been removed, calls have been made for an immediate halt in support of Saudi Arabian forces which have been accused of committing crimes against humanity
It has been reported that up to 50 UK military personnel have been teaching battlefield skills to soldiers who will be deployed in the so-called ‘dirty war’.
Last night, an MOD spokesman said: “The UK is not training the Saudi Armed Forces in irregular activity, but is providing courses in how to counter it.”
This week reports from aid agencies suggested Saudi Arabia has not fulfilled its promise to reopen humanitarian aid corridors into northern Yemen, leaving the main aid lifeline closed for tens of thousands of starving people.
It came after Saudi Arabia had agreed to lift a fortnight-long blockade of the port of Hodeida though aid agencies said no permissions for humanitarian shipments had been given.
Responding to the new claims, the Ministry of Defence deny the Scottish regiment has been training Saudi troops in "irregular activity" but confirmed army personnel were providing some assistance.
But now Stephen Gethins, the SNP MP for North East Fife, has called for a review into the arms Britain sells to the Saudi Arabia.
"The war in Yemen is having devastating humanitarian consequences and is one of the worst man made disasters of our time," he said.
"Since the start of the war, the UK has sold almost £4 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, dwarfing the level of aid to Yemen.
"There needs to be a review of the arms sales and a halt to the weapons of war that appear to be making this conflict worse.
"It is the people of Yemen who are paying the cost of this ongoing conflict.
"It's disgusting – the gulf between how much is made by arming one of the combatants in the conflict and how much we are providing in aid to those suffering as a result, is something that should appal us all."
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Tory MP and former Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell demanded the the UK Government provide answers in the Commons about Britain's role in Saudi military operations.
He said: "The UK has been shamefully complicit in Saudi’s role in Yemen, which has clearly included breaches of the Geneva Conventions.
"I have no doubt parliament will require an explanation of this training mission in view of the high level of concern about the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Yemen."
Thousands of people have been killed since the outbreak of hostilities in Yemen, with around one million children facing the prospect of starvation as a result.
Yemen is one of the Arab world's poorest countries and has been devastated by a war between forces loyal to the internationally-recognised government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and those allied to the Houthi rebel movement.
More than 8,600 people have been killed and 49,000 injured since March 2015, many of them in air strikes by a Saudi-led multinational coalition that backs the president.
The conflict and a blockade imposed by the coalition have also left 20 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and created the world's largest food security emergency.
The United Nations is investigating the situation in Yemen, having described it as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Operation Crossways involved troops from 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland
In one of the pictures published on social media, a British instructor is seen standing in front of a map showing Yemen and the surrounding region as he explains a possible attacking strategy.
The government has long been criticised for arming Saudi Arabia, especially as British-made bombs are understood to have been used in the Saudis’ aerial bombardment of Yemen.
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