The State Department told Congress Wednesday that human rights concerns should not hold up a proposed $5 billion sale of F-16 warplanes to the kingdom of Bahrain, despite a record of torture and killings by the security forces. The move by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reverses an Obama administration policy tying weapons sales to improvements in Bahrain’s human rights record. Bahrain is a close U.S. ally in the Gulf, home to the Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
State Department Seeks F-16s for Bahrain Despite Rights Violations
HeadlineMar 30, 2017