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.
#Breaking: #Yemen 65 civilians killed in airstrikes. Survivors searching rubble, injured unable to reach hospitals http://t.co/C8srv4i5A7
— MSF International (@MSF)
August 21, 201
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.
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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.
An average of 8 #YemenChildren have been killed or injured every day since conflict escalated 4 months ago http://t.co/841ukCHsqL
— UNICEF (@UNICEF)
August 19, 201
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.
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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.
We call on warring parties to stop attacking civilian targets especially hospitals, ambulances & densely populated areas #Yemen #YemenCrisis
— MSF International (@MSF)
August 21, 201
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.
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