Marines surrender weapons?

[PRB]

...in Yemen before exfil on State Dept. orders.
I hope this is a bullshit story.

[Lighthouse]

military.com just posted an article about it. No source so far though...

But I'm with you on hoping this is BS cause man would this make us (U.S.) look like a joke to the world. Or more of a joke while under Baraq

[Sohei]

Where is Mad Dog when we need him????

[Golf1echo]

They did it before once, maybe this is the redux ? If the bad guys get their hands on the new formula...well someone's doomed!

Could not find the image departing the ramp...

[JJ_BPK]

OK, so maybe the Marines didn't "surrender" their weapons,,

But why didn't they just take their gear home??

Was the exfil a complete rout??

UPDATE: Marine Corps Says Crew Served Weapons Destroyed at Embassy

UPDATE, 9:57p ET: The Marine Corps has clarified what Marines did under State Department orders in Yemen following the evacuation of the U.S. embassy.

Crew served weapons were destroyed at the embassy, while Marines’ personal weapons were “rendered inoperable” at the airport, and their destroyed components were left behind.

The Marine Corps does not dispute the reporting that CENTCOM is outraged over weapons being rendered inoperable.

http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/02/1...men-evacuation

Confused??

[Pete]

Just shaking my head - and I'm placing no blame to the Marines.

[Streck-Fu]

An official statement from the Marines states that the crew served weapons were destroyed at the embassy before leaving and that personal weapons were destroyed at the airport before boarding flight.

They emphasize that no weapons that are or could be made operational were left behind or turned over to any one.

LINK

The Marine security detachment guarding the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen left no operational weapons behind as troops evacuated the country, a senior Marine official with knowledge of the movement told Marine Corps Times.

Officials with the Sanaa airport told the Associated Press earlier today that Houthi rebels seized more than 25 official U.S. vehicles in the wake of the hasty departure of embassy staff, some with personal weapons left inside.

Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters that the embassy's Marine security guard detachment destroyed larger weapons, including machine guns, and added that he believed they had turned over personal weapons to Yemeni officials because they could not take them on commercial flights.

But the Marine official, who asked that he not be identified because he was unauthorized to discuss the situation, said no working Marine weapons, whether crew-served or personal rifles and sidearms, were seized or handed over as the troops departed.

"No Marines handed over a functional weapon to anybody," the official said.

[Snaquebite]

Word is that it was ordered by someone in the State Department. MCESG is considered OPCON to DSS.

[blue02hd]

If you are relying on a commercial flight for part of your exfil route, you truly are left out there hanging.

[Richard]

U.S. Marines Handed Over Their Guns Before Leaving Yemen
Reuters, 11 Feb 2015

U.S. Marines handed over their remaining weapons to Yemenis at the airport in the capital, Sanaa, on Wednesday before boarding commercial aircraft to leave the country following the closure of the U.S. embassy, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon said the Marines destroyed heavy weapons in their embassy arsenal, including machine guns, before leaving for the airport but remained armed with smaller weapons until the end to ensure a safe exit from the country.

"The movement from the embassy to the aircraft required armed Marines," Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said at a briefing.

The U.S. embassy closure and the evacuation of embassy personnel came after the Houthi militia group - which overran Sanaa in September - formally took power last week. The Shi'ite Muslim group is stridently anti-American and is backed by Iran.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, estimated that about 100 Marines made up the embassy contingent that left the country.

Asked whether the Marines turned over their weapons to Houthi fighters, Warren said: "It's unclear, frankly. We believe they turned them over to government officials at the airport, prior to boarding the aircraft."

"As everyone knows, weapons are generally not authorized on commercial aircraft," Warren said. He said the Marines were probably carrying handguns and assault rifles until their departure.

Yemen, which borders oil giant Saudi Arabia, had long been at the forefront of the U.S.-led war against al Qaeda. But the long-standing diplomatic alliance between Washington and Sanaa appears to have been suspended with the United States.

France and Britain also closed their embassies on Wednesday due to security fears.

Despite the closure of the U.S. embassy, some American military personnel remain in the country conducting training operations with Yemeni military forces and "retain the capability to conduct counterterrorism operations if required," Warren said.

Still, U.S. officials have privately acknowledged that the political upheaval has undermined their counterterrorism effort, including the collection of intelligence.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-marines-han...lkA1lIUzAwMl8x

[Streck-Fu]

I would really like to know WTF prompted this.....

LINK

However, Pentagon officials said that several Embassy vehicles were left behind in the evacuation. At a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that the evacuation took place in a "delicate situation" and that the Yemenis were responsible for maintaining any equipment left behind.

"I certainly would use this opportunity to reiterate the responsibility that the Yemeni government and that the Houthi rebels have in ensuring the protection of diplomatic property and other equipment that was left behind," Earnest said.

The Embassy Marines and the diplomatic personnel left the Sanaa airport on a civilian flight to the neighboring country of Oman.

[Pete]

I guess they didn't have any footlockers.

Get to the airport, go into the bathroom, put the weapons in a footlocker and slap an embassy seal on it.

But I would guess that idea was rejected by the DoS.

[Richard]

Might not have been an American "flag carrier" out of there and who knows where they were going from Yemen.

I officially 'carried' on several trips from NC to the RPI and back in the early 80's - had to us a "flag" carrier only, though. The fun part was checking in through airport security opns with a carry on case they couldn't open to inspect and avoiding the lines.

I'm a bit surprised they didn't have a "flag" carrier charter, though, for the 100 or so Marines and other embassy staff leaving - must be a budget issue because of those darn ol' Yarborough knives.

Richard

[Five-O]

If this weapons issue happened in the 90's during a "peace time footing" of our military I could understand this a little easier. I would still have a problem with it but I could understand it. This country (the military anyway) is at war. Who exactly do you think these guys attacking and overthrowing the Yemen government are??? They are not democracy seeking freedom loving Arab spring types (not that they ever existed). These guys attempting to seize Yemen are the guys we want to target and they are all bunched up....another course of action may have proved more effective. A COA which included gunships, Marine Infantry "rescue" force and a whole lot of ammo. We then exfil on our terms...not theirs.

[Box]

...lay down your arms men, we're retreating