Houthi missile strike on Yemeni army training camp kills at least 53
A Houthi ballistic missile attack on a government forces training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province has killed at least 53 people. It is the deadliest single attack since the civil war reignited in September.
At least 53 people were killed and more than 200 wounded when Houthi ballistic missiles struck a training camp for Yemeni government forces in Shabwa province, southern Yemen. It is the largest single loss of life since the civil war between the UN-recognised government and the Iran-backed Houthi movement flared up again in September. The government described the attack as a disaster.
The attack
The al-Alam police and army training camp is in the Jardan district. According to the source, three ballistic missiles hit it while recruits were lined up in formation. Most of the injured are young recruits; they were taken to a hospital in the provincial capital, Ataq, where appeals for blood donations were made.
An inquiry will examine how so many troops were left so exposed to Houthi attacks.
Reaction
Rashad al-Alimi, president of the UN-recognised government, promised an immediate, hard response. He called the strike a cowardly terrorist attack and on Monday phoned UN Secretary General António Guterres to ask that the Houthis be designated a foreign terrorist organisation. Shabwa governor Awad bin Al-Wazir visited the wounded.
A Houthi military spokesperson said the target was a force run by Saudi officers and warned Yemenis against trusting Saudi Arabia. The source does not confirm this claim.
Wider context
In mid-September the Houthis began a fresh push against government-backed forces, moving south along the Red Sea coast to try to seize the Bab al-Mandab waterway. Southern forces are reportedly making progress in pushing the Houthis out of the area. Fighting is also under way around Taiz, which the Houthis are trying to besiege.
The death toll over the past month is hard to establish but is running into many thousands. A Saudi airstrike on Sunday killed nine people, including five children and two women. UN envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg is due to meet ministers in London on Tuesday.
