43 killed in Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemen

Aug 9, 2019

Sana’a: At least 43 people, mostly children believed to be under the age of 10, were killed and several injured when Saudi-led coalition airstrikes hit buses in northern Yemen on Thursday, officials said.

The buses were targeted as they were passing through Dahyan market in the rebel-held province of Saada, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV.

“A total of 43 people, mostly pupils under the age of 10, were killed and 64 were injured when two Saudi-led airstrikes hit passenger buses in Dahyan popular market,” Yahya Shayem, head of Saada Health Office, told Xinhua news agency.

“The victims were mostly pupils who were on their way to attend a summer school in Dahyan,” he said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said a hospital it supported in Saada had received dozens of casualties after the attack.

The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television quoted a statement by the Saudi-led coalition as saying that “Thursday’s airstrikes targeted Iranian-allied Houthi rebels who fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday at the Saudi commercial city in border Jazan region.”

The coalition, backing Yemen’s government in a war with the Houthis, said its actions were “legitimate”, according to the BBC.

In response, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam called the coalition statement “absolutely ridiculous”.
“They killed pupils driving to school … this is a war crime,” Abdulsalam tweeted.

The Houthi spokesman’s comments came at the same time the coalition warplanes hit the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa 11 times, with no reports of casualties yet. The airstrikes targeted Sabeen Square and two military camps.

Houthi media aired gruesome footage appearing to show the bodies of children in school uniform. Other footage showed a young boy being escorted to a hospital, with blood all over his face.

The ICRC stressed that “under international humanitarian law, civilians must be protected during conflict”, while the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland called it a “grotesque, shameful” attack that showed “blatant disregard for rules of war”.

It was not immediately clear whether the bus was the target of airstrikes, but coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Malki said the attack was “a legitimate military action, conducted in conformity with international humanitarian law”.

A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been carrying out airstrikes since 2015 against Houthi positions — causing thousands of civilian deaths in the process, according to war monitors — in an attempt to restore the internationally-recognized government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

Last week, the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes struck the gate of al-Thawra hospital and adjacent fish market in Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, killing 52 civilians and wounding 102 others.
(IANS)

Shia leaders demand death for Hafiz Saeed, seek justice for 26/11 victims

Lucknow: The All India Shia Husaini Fund members have demanded justice for the 26/11 Mumbai attack victims by hanging its mastermind, Hafiz Saeed. Shia religious leaders and intellectuals from different...

Hundreds of jail police personnel go on mass CL in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: Hundreds of police personnel serving at various jails in Gujarat on Wednesday went on a mass casual leave demanding a pay hike at par with other police personnel and State...

Centre bans PFI, all its affiliates for 5 years. Here are key reasons

After two rounds of nationwide raids and arrests of over 240 members, the Centre on Wednesday banned the contentious Popular Front of India (PFI) and all its affiliates, excluding the...

Home Ministry all set to ban PFI after studying possible legal challenges

New Delhi: Days after the NIA and the ED raided several locations linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) across the country, the Union Home Ministry is planning to...

ISI & Khalistani connections of Goldy Brar, Bishnoi

New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) The NIA sources have said that Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi gangs have contacts with Canada-based Khalistani elements and Pakistan-based ISI agents, and these gangs were...

IT sleuths seized our phones, cloned data, claim Oxfam, IPSMF

Days after the Income Tax Department carried out “surveys action” at their premises, Oxfam India and the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) alleged that the I-T personnel confiscated phones...

IS claims 1st Indian suicide bomber was Keralite Christian converted to Islam; agencies begin probe

Thiruvananthapuram: The Central intelligence agencies have commenced a probe after an article in the IS mouthpiece 'Voice of Koharasan' mentioned that 'the first Indian suicide bomber for them was a Keralite...

Hijab row not a controversy, but conspiracy against India: BJP

New Delhi: Referring to a plea in the Karnataka High Court to defer hearing on the 'hijab' row till the Assembly polls were over, the BJP has raised questions over the...

Congress to support BJP-backed Meghalaya govt

Shillong: In a significant political development, all five Congress MLAs in Meghalaya on Tuesday told Chief Minister Conrad Sangma that they wish to join the National People's Party (NPP)-led Meghalaya Democratic...

From reality to fiction, a tale of two opposites

New Delhi: Perhaps one becomes a different person after retirement? Released from the pressures and restrictions of a professional career you can give free rein to talents that remained dormant...

Ruins of ancient Sun temple in UP gets govt’s attention

Pratapgarh (Uttar Pradesh) Plans are afoot to revive a 8th century Sun temple, located in a Uttar Pradesh village in Pratapgarh district. A joint team of the state tourism department...

BHU scientist warns against ‘unscientific’ tree plantation

Varanasi: Even as Uttar Pradesh undertakes a massive tree plantation drive, a retired scientist and river engineer from the Banaras Hindu university (BHU) has warned against "unscientific plantation of trees...

Read Previous

LS passes bill to enable NRIs to appoint proxy to cast vote

Read Next

Sonia leads Congress protests against Rafale deal

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com