Senator: UAE has history of transferring US arms to extremist militias

US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said yesterday that the United Arab Emirates has a history of transferring American weapons to extremist militias.

“The UAE is our ally, but there is no escaping that the Emiratis have a history of transferring U.S. arms to extremist militias, and have violated international law in Libya and Yemen. At the very least, we should not rush this sale through in a lame duck session,” Senator Murphy said on Twitter.

The UAE is our ally, but there is no escaping that the Emiratis have a history of transferring U.S. arms to extremist militias, and have violated international law in Libya and Yemen. At the very least, we should not rush this sale through in a lame duck session. https://t.co/JYW8RXQ66G

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) November 19, 2020

Earlier on Wednesday, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, alongside Senators, Chris Murphy and Rand Paul, introduced measures to prevent President Donald Trump’s administration from selling arms worth $23 billion to the UAE, American Politico newspaper reported.

The proposed deal includes 50 F-35 fighter jets, a stockpile of missiles and 18 drones.