Obama’s State Dept. Ordered U.S. Marines To Leave Weapons Behind After Closing Embassy and Fleeing Yemen

by Warner Todd Huston | February 12, 2015 11:43 am

As Iranian-supported Houthis rebels have spread through Yemen taking over much of the nation, several countries, including the U.S.A. Britain and France, shuttered embassies yesterday. But as Obama’s State Department ordered the embassy closed, administration officials also ordered the fleeing U.S. Marines to leave behind all their weapons causing outrage at home

It was initially reported[1] that the Marines handed over their weapons to Yemeni officials (and some reports even said the Marines handed weapons over to the rebels), but that now appears not to be the case. But the Marines did leave all their weapons in the embassy as the ran to the airport to flee the crumbling nation.

U.S. Marine officials, though, claim that the weapons were disassembled and “destroyed.” In an official statement[2], the Marines said that no Marine handed his weapon to a rebel as was originally reported.

The Marine Security Force left the American embassy in Yemen for the movement to the airfield as part of the “ordered departure” with only personal weapons. All crew served weapons were destroyed at the embassy prior to movement. None of them were ‘handed over’ in any way to anyone. The destruction of weapons at the embassy and the airport was carried out in accordance with an approved destruction plan.

Upon arrival at the airfield, all personal weapons were rendered inoperable in accordance with advance planning. Specifically, each bolt was removed from its weapons body and rendered inoperable by smashing with sledgehammers. The weapons bodies, minus the bolts, were then separately smashed with sledgehammers. All of these destroyed components were left at the airport — and components were scattered; no usable weapon was taken from any Marine at Sana’a airport.

To be clear: No Marine handed a weapon to a Houthi, or had one taken from him.

It makes sense that large platform weapons might be destroyed instead of taken home if the Marines were fleeing the embassy. But why were all side arms and long arms destroyed?

And, doesn’t that still leave useful parts behind for rebel armourers to use?

Endnotes:
  1. initially reported: http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/yemen-rebels-seize-us-vehicles-as-western-embassies-close-1.328886
  2. official statement: http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/02/11/rpt-marines-ordered-turn-over-weapons-during-yemen-evacuation

Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/democrats/obamas-state-dept-ordered-u-s-marines-leave-weapons-behind-closing-embassy-fleeing-yemen/