The United States will halt the planned sale of precision-guided weapons to Saudi Arabia, a U.S. official said, in response to concerns over Saudi military practices in the Yemeni civil war, which has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.

 

该官员说，奥巴马政府取消了向美国主要盟友沙特阿拉伯出售空投精确制导炸弹的计划。 “这显然直接反映了我们对造成平民伤亡的沙特空袭的关切。”

 

The official said President Barack Obama's administration canceled the sale of air-dropped precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally. "That's obviously a direct reflection of the concerns that we have about Saudi strikes that have resulted in civilian casualties," the official said.

 

除了取消出售精确制导武器以外，美国还将调整其训练沙特空军人员的方式，这种训练旨在提高其空军的准确性。这也是奥巴马政府持续关注的问题。

 

In addition to canceling the sale of the precision-guided weapons, the U.S. will alter the way it trains Saudi air force personnel to improve their accuracy, a persistent source of concern in the Obama administration.

 

候任总统川普准备接管美国政府之际，这些决定可能进一步加剧美国和沙特的紧张关系。

 

The decisions could further strain ties between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia at a time when the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump prepares to assume control of the executive branch of the U.S. government.

 

联合国人权办公室8月表示，沙特领导的联盟对也门2015年3月以来遇害的3800名平民中大约60%的死亡负有责任。一些人权团体批评美国通过军售和为沙特联盟的飞机加油来支持沙特的战争行径。一些人权团体还表示，沙特为首的联盟轰炸诊所、工厂、市场和学校，犯下了战争罪。

 

The United Nations human rights office said in August that the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen was responsible for about 60 percent of the 3,800 civilians killed since March 2015. Some rights groups have criticized the U.S. for supporting the Saudi war effort with weapons sales and refueling Saudi-led coalition jets. Some rights groups also say attacks by the Saudi-led coalition on clinics, factories, markets and schools amount to war crimes.

 

沙特阿拉伯不是否认这些攻击，就是说空袭是正当的，因为目标内藏有武装分子。沙特阿拉伯尚未对奥巴马政府的最新决定做出回应。

 

Saudi Arabia has either denied the attacks or said the presence of fighters in the targeted areas justified the strikes. Saudi Arabia has not yet responded to the latest decisions by the Obama administration.

 

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