US lawmakers propose bill to pull troops, defense arms from KSA, UAE
US lawmakers propose a bill that would relocate US military defense systems and troops from KSA and UAE to the Middle East with a proclaimed aim "to protect US troops elsewhere."
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A member of the U.S. Air Force stands near a Patriot missile battery at the Prince Sultan air base in al-Kharj, central Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 20, 2020 (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via AP, File)
A group of US lawmakers is introducing a bill to mandate the removal of US forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the decision of OPEC+ countries to cut oil production, Congressman Tom Malinowski's office said on Thursday.
"Representatives Tom Malinowski, Sean Casten, and Susan Wild are introducing a bill that would mandate the removal of US troops and missile defense systems from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates," Malinowski's office said in a press release.
The bill would relocate US military defense systems and equipment to the Middle East with an aim to protect US troops elsewhere, the release said.
“Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s drastic cut in oil production, despite President Biden’s overtures to both countries in recent months, is a hostile act against the United States and a clear signal that they have chosen to side with Russia in its war against Ukraine,” Tom Malinowski, Sean Casten, and Susan Wild wrote.
“Both countries have long relied on an American military presence in the Gulf to protect their security and oil fields. We see no reason why American troops and contractors should continue to provide this service to countries that are actively working against us. If Saudi Arabia and the UAE want to help Putin, they should look to him for their defense."
Their rhetoric comes in agreement with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's statement yesterday that the 2 million barrels per day cut in oil production makes it “clear that OPEC+ is aligning with Russia.”
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)'s member states voted on Wednesday on cutting their production of oil and agreed to reduce their oil production by 2 million barrels a day in light of the world's surging energy crisis, a delegation source told Russian news agency Sputnik.
The release noted that the United States presently has some 3,000 US troops in Saudi Arabia and 2,000 in the UAE.
