12 Yemeni civilians killed in Saudi-led coalition raid

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Twelve Yemeni civilians including women and children have been killed in an air raid by the Saudi-led coalition northeast of the capital Sanaa, an official, residents and rebel media said Sunday.

A local official said the coalition air raid struck a vehicle carrying the civilians on Saturday in Hareeb Al-Qarameesh in Marib province, about 70 km (43 miles) northeast of Sanaa.

A Yemeni girl holds a placard reading "We will continue in our education" during a demonstration outside of the UN office demanding the end of targeting educational institutions by airstrikes and shelling, in the capital Sanaa, on September 17, 2017. /AFP Photo

The area is held by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have controlled the capital and northern parts of the country for three years.

The rebel news agency Saba also reported the attack, saying the vehicle was destroyed and all passengers killed.

Residents said four children and two women were among the victims.

The Saudi-led coalition, which has been waging a war against the Houthis since March 2015, has been repeatedly criticized for attacks on civilians.

Yemeni Red Crescent workers and civilians stand at the site of an air raid in the Arhab area, near Sanaa, on August 23, 2017, where a Saudi-lead coalition has been bombing Iran-backed Houthi rebels. /AFP Photo

More than 8,000 people have been killed, including at least 1,500 children, and millions displaced in the conflict which has pushed the impoverished country to the brink of famine.

A cholera outbreak has also claimed the lives of more than 1,800 people since April, with 400,000 suspected cases across the country, according to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The UN warned in July that 80% of Yemen's children desperately needed aid in what the organization has called the ‘largest humanitarian crisis in the world’.

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Source(s): AFP