Killing of civilians investigated

By Ashwaq Arrabyee 17/09/2009


The government ordered investigation into allegations of killing more than 80 displaced people in the fighting between the troops and Al Houthi rebels, Security sources said on Thursday.

The security sources said that a committee was formed to investigate in the allegations that air strikes targeted displaced people in the area of Al Adi, east of Harf Sufyan, the main front where the rebels block the main road between the Capital Sana’a and Saada.

Earlier in the day, the local official of Amran governorate, where Harf Sufyan is, said, “there is no camp for the internally displaced persons IDPs in Al Adi area which is used by Al Houthi rebels to attack the troops.

The sources said the troops killed at earlier time three rebel leaders known as Abo Bara, Abo Hamza and Abo Saleh in Al Adi area.

Furthermore, the Supreme Security Committee which supervises the 37-day-old war said that Al Houthi rebels prevented the people in Al Adi area from displacing to safe place to use them as human shields.

Local sources said on Thursday that 87 people including women and children were buried in mass graves in Al Adi area where they were killed after air strikes hit them on Wednesday.

On their part, the tribal Sheikhs of Sufyan condemned the attack and demanded the president and the defence minister to form a committee to investigate into the incident.