Guardian Newspaper Expose : British Government Directly Involved In Genocide Against Yemen

I have said many times before and I will say it again - the real rascals in the world (for the past 500 years) are not the Americans, the CIA, the Mossad, the old KGB, the Soviets or the Russians. 

The real rascals are the meddling British and their MI6 who have had a hand in every war, revolution, crisis and hotspot in the world.  And they are still meddling.

This grand expose by the Guardian says that thousands of British personnel from the Royal Air force, British arms manufacturers, British special forces and the British government are DIRECTLY on the ground in Saudi Arabia and inside Yemen where they are hands on directly involved in the genocide against Yemen. 

The following is from an article written by Arron Merat in The Guardian (UK). You can read the full and very long article here.  I have some conclusions.

Britain does not merely supply the bombs that fall on Yemen 
it provides personnel,  expertise that keep the war going
is the British government breaking the law?

By Arron Merat

Tue 18 Jun 2019 

For four years, brutal Saudis killing tens of thousands in Yemen
creating world’s worst humanitarian crisis

British weapons doing much of the killing
Every day Yemen hit by British bombs 
dropped by British planes flown by British-trained pilots 
maintained and prepared inside Saudi by thousands of British contractors

Saudi - according to UN – bomb hospitals, schools, weddings, funerals, camps 

Saudi has contracted out war against Yemen to US and UK

Britain provides personnel, expertise required to keep war going
British deployed RAF as engineers, to train Saudi pilots and targeteers 

even larger role played by BAE Systems, Britain’s biggest arms company
UK govt subcontracted to provide weapons, maintenance, engineers inside Saudi 

Saudi absolutely depend on BAE, said John Deverell, ex defence attache to Saudi 
They couldn’t do it without us

BAE employee put it more plainly to Channel 4
“If we weren’t there, in 7 to 14 days there wouldn’t be a jet in the sky”

British bombs on Yemen produced in three towns: 
Glenrothes in Scotland
Harlow and Stevenage in south-east England 

Above : Glenrothes Scotland.  Below : The Raytheon bomb factory in Glenrothes.

Below : Barbed wires and road blocks to the Raytheon factory.

Bombs produced by Raytheon UK and BAE Systems
Paveway bombs (£22,000 apiece)
Brimstone bombs (£105,000 apiece)
Storm Shadow cruise missiles (£790,000 apiece) 
for Saudi Royal Air Force
BAE assembles jets that drop these bombs in Warton, Lancashire.

Once weapons arrive in Saudi, Britain’s involvement far from over

Saudi's lack expertise to use these weapons 
so BAE, under contract to UK govt, provides “in-country” services

6,300 British contractors stationed at forward operating bases in Saudi 

conduct essential maintenance on planes flying to targets in Yemen
supervise Saudi soldiers to load bombs and set fuses for targets

80 serving RAF personnel work inside Saudi 
they maintain and prepare Saudi aircraft
RAF “liaison officers” work in command-and-control centre, select targets in Yemen 

last year Saudi decided to deploy ground forces in Yemen
British joined the mission

May 2018 British troops sent to Yemen 
reports of British special forces wounded in Houthi territory

Under British law, illegal to export arms if used against civilians
overwhelming evidence Saudis flagrantly in violation

killing of civilians has accelerated
strikes against civilians by Saudi doubled between 2017 - 2018

Since 2016 Austria, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland suspended arms sales to Saudi Arabia 
Britain and US still holding out

foreign secretary Philip Hammond said Britain “support Saudis short of  combat”

BAE, Raytheon production in Britain sped up to keep up with Saudi bombing
UK govt granted BAE special arms-export licences 
permit sale of unlimited number of bombs to Saudi 
full scale of UK’s rearmament programme is hidden

British military exports to Riyadh multiplied 35-fold in one year
from £83m in 2014 to £2.9bn in 2015.

Saudi traditionally lacked skills, manpower to deploy weapons
British personnel played major role 
UK Govt contractors carry out 95% of tasks to bomb Yemen
one former BAE employee told Channel 4

In Saudi forward bases, thousands of British contractors keep war moving
British contractors coordinate distribution of bombs, aircraft parts

work in shifts to ensure bombs dispatched timely manner for fresh raids
RAF personnel, British contractors train Saudi pilots to bomb Yemen
They manage radar to ensure Saudi planes get to and from targets
conduct deep aircraft maintenance necessary to keep them over Yemen

no disputing British enable Saudi to hit targets 

“double-tap” attacks – where 2nd bomb dropped few minutes after first
targeting civilians, emergency responders who rush to site of explosion
One such attack on 8 Oct 2016 hit funeral killing 155 mourners 
double-tap hit wedding 28 Sept 2015, killing 131 civilians

presence of British special forces in Yemen 
open secret in defence circles
decision for special forces in meeting between British and MBS, March 2018 

MBS met Queen, signed memorandum to buy 48 more jets worth £10bn 

undisclosed number of UK troops to provide “iassistance” to Saudi

terms of deal, Saudi reimburses British Mindef for costs to arm Saudi air force
plus 2% fee for civil servants administering procurement

BAE depends on this state contract for survival

ex foreign sec Robin Cook described BAE as having “key to garden door to No 10”

Riyadh privately said it would squeeze Britain if no military cooperation 
If UK fail no more commercial opportunities and influence in Saudi
two particularly deadly attacks in May, July 2015 – 100 people killed by airstrikes

acrobatic contortions of British govt to obscure involvement in Yemen 

Britain helps brutalise Yemen the poorest Arab nation
Saudi spent $60-70bn every year on this failing war
nearly four times GDP of Yemen
enough money to secure livelihoods of generation of Yemenis

My comments :  This is not the first time and neither is it the last time that the British have been involved in genocide, war crimes and killing innocent people.  Or the Americans. 

In 2003 Tony Blair lied to the British people that Saddam Hussein had ballistic missiles that could hit Britain in 45 minutes. 

Then in 2016 Tony Blair just cried in public and said 'I am sorry. I made a mistake.'

And that was the end of it. Habis cerita. Just like that.
So will Theresa May also make a similar apology, say in 2032? 

"I am sorry that we dropped a 1000 lb bomb on your wedding party and killed your future mother in law, your father, mother and your future wife-to-be. It was so terrible. We made a ghastly mistake.  Sorry. And cheerio."