US seeks compensation from Saudi for refueling services

By Umar Farooq</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – The United States is seeking reimbursements from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the Pentagon failed to charge them for fuel and refueling services, the Pentagon said Thursday.</p> <p>The oversight was reported by The Atlantic last week, and now the U.S. is now requesting $331 million from the two countries.</p> <p>U.S. Central Command reviewed its record and is seeking $37 million for fuel and $294 million for mid-air refueling services conducted by American forces.</p> <p>&quot;Our partners have been individually notified about our intent to seek reimbursement, and have been given estimates as to how much they owe,&quot; Pentagon spokeswoman Rebecca Rebarich said in a statement.</p> <p> Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country and the crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition, with support of the U.S., launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.</p> <p>The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including its health and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times.</p> <p>Tens of thousands of people, including civilians, are believed to have been killed and the UN estimates 14 million Yemenis are at risk of famine.</p> <p>On Thursday, a resolution seeking to end U.S. support for the war in Yemen passed in the Senate.