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 — U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell and John Conyers were among a group of House members who sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Wednesday urging his administration to work with American allies to limit civilian casualties in Yemen and find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Dingell, D-Dearborn, whose southeast Michigan district includes many Yemenis, was one of the leaders of the letter-writing effort, noting that air strikes in Yemen by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition against Yemeni rebels killed more than 150 civilians at wedding parties in the last two weeks.

Noting that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has acknowledged the U.S. is providing logistical and intelligence support to the Saudi-led coalition, those signing the letter voiced concerns that “some overseas may hold the United States responsible for any civilian casualties.”

“Additional precautions to protect civilians are particularly crucial as the State Department has reported thousands of U.S. citizens are still inside Yemen in the absence of an official evacuation,” said the 13 members of Congress who signed the letter, a group that included Conyers, D-Detroit, as well.

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