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Scores killed in Yemeni air raid

More than 80 civilians were killed in an air raid that blasted a makeshift camp of displaced people in northern Yemen, witnesses said yesterday as the army pursued its offensive on Shiite rebels.

One witness, reached by telephone, said most of those killed in Wednesday’s raid were women and children.

The attack was carried out by a “warplane [that] targeted displaced families who had gathered under trees in the area of Adi,” in Amran province — scene of heavy fighting between the army and the rebels, the witness said, asking not to be identified.

Another witness, also reached by telephone, said “at least 87 were killed” in the attack, which was acknowledged by a Yemeni official.

“The jet fighter targeted Huthi [rebels] who were firing [while hiding] among the displaced people,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

He declined to comment on the death toll.

A rebel statement condemned the attack, accusing the Sanaa government, which has vowed to crush the five-year-old rebellion, of thirsting for blood.

“The bloodthirsty authorities have committed a new massacre,” said a statement issued by the Huthi rebels. It said that government MiG warplanes at 12pm on Wednesday had targeted displaced people gathering along the Barata road, near Harf Sufyan, which lies on the route linking Saada to the capital.

“Dozens were killed and the bodies were blown away by the impact of the strike,” the statement said.

The Yemeni army, which launched operation Scorched Earth against the rebels on Aug. 11, said yesterday it had delivered heavy blows “over the past hours.”

A military commander claimed the army had killed and wounded many rebels, whom it accused of using civilians as human shields.

New York-based Human Rights Watch urged the Yemeni government to “promptly and impartially investigate responsibility for any attacks on civilians.”

In a statement it also urged all parties to the armed conflict in the region to “respect the prohibition under international law against targeting civilians.”

The US has been pressing Yemen to take action against an increasingly powerful al-Qaeda, but the country has its hands full fighting the rebels.

The country faces secessionists in the south, al-Qaeda militants in the east, pirates off its coasts, disgruntled tribes all over and a crumbling economy.

US officials have made clear their frustration to Yemeni leaders about the sporadic attention paid to al-Qaeda militants.

Washington has expressed concern that Yemen could fall apart and become another Afghanistan, opening the door for al-Qaeda to operate even more freely.

That would give the terror network a stronghold in a highly strategic location in close proximity to Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Gulf countries. Yemen also overlooks one of the world’s most important sea routes, the Gulf of Aden — and just across the way lies Somalia, an even more chaotic country where al-Qaeda is active.

Despite US pressure, Yemen says it’s determined to stamp out the rebellion, claiming it seeks to overthrow the government and establish rule by a Shiite “Imamate.”

It has depicted the war as a regional conflict, saying mainly Shiite Iran is backing the rebels to get a foothold in the region. That has raised the concerns of neighboring Saudi Arabia — though the US appears skeptical of the allegations.
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