Saudi-led Airstrikes in Yemen Kill Over 30, Mostly Civilians

Air strikes by a Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting Iranian-allied Shi'ite forces in Yemen killed at least 30 people Saturday at a popular market northeast of the rebel-held capital, Sana'a, Yemeni security officials and residents said.

The strike in the Nihm district killed mostly civilians and left burned bodies strewn over the area. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

The Saudi-led coalition is fighting Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in a bid to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Aid and rights groups again urged Western countries Friday to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia. Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch accused the coalition of using U.S.-supplied cluster bombs.

A United Nations panel of experts says the coalition has carried out 119 sorties that violated humanitarian law, and called for an international probe.

The U.N. says the fighting in Yemen has killed more than 6,000 people since March 2015.
  voanews.com
27/2/16