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News > World

Saudi Raids Kill at Least 65 Yemen Civilians, Says Aid Group

  • People gather on the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen's central city of Taiz August 21, 2015.

    People gather on the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen's central city of Taiz August 21, 2015. | Photo: Reuters

Published 21 August 2015
Opinion

More than 2,000 civilians have died in Yemen since the beginning of the Saudi operation 5 months ago, according to the U.N.

At least 65 civilians were killed in the Yemeni city of Taiz, the third-largest city in the country, as a result of the latest round of Saudi airstrikes in the ongoing campaign against Yemeni rebels which started in March.

The tragic death toll was reported on Friday, a day after raids struck Taiz city, where pro-exiled President Abd Rabbuh Mansur and Ansarullah rebels have been engaged in intense fighting.

The figure was provided by the medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders. According to the group, half of those killed were women and children.

"The deaths occurred when the strikes hit civilian and homes in the area," Salah Dongu'du, Medicins Sans Frontieres project coordinator in Taiz, said in a statement. "Those who survived the bombings are searching through the rubble with their bare hands in the hope of finding survivors, as well as the bodies of victims of the attack," Dongu'du said.

RELATED: Why Saudi Arabia is Bombing Yemen

The conflict in the country between pro-government forces and rebels escalated in March when Saudi Arabia and 10 of its regional allies started bombing Yemen, aided by United States' logistical and intelligence support.The operation aims to restore Saudi ally Hadi to power, and drive rebels out of the capital.

So far, the conflict has killed about 4,000 people, nearly half of whom are civilians, according to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, the U.N’s children agency UNICEF said this week that more than 1,000 children have been killed or injured in Yemen as a result of the conflict. While the shelling has taken many young lives, others are being recruited by the various battling groups, the agency said.

RELATED: Yemen and Crimea Covered in the 'Liberal' Anglo-American Press

Dongu'du also warned that patients and medical staff struggle to reach hospitals due to the heavy fighting and airstrikes. "MSF is trying to provide first aid kits to nurses and doctors so they can treat injured people who are not able to reach the hospital, but we know it is not enough," he said.

The Saudi coalition has so far managed to drive the rebels from the city of Aden, helping pro-Hadi forces to retake the city. Saudi Arabia and its allies see the Ansarullah rebels as an Iran proxy group. However, the rebels argue that since coming to power in 2012, Hadi has done very little for the country, insisting he is being used by the Saudis to advance Riyadh’s agenda in Yemen.

RELATED: Yemen Explained

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