File photo: A government soldier mans a machine gun mounted on a patrol truck, at a neighbourhood the army took over, after clashes with armed militants in Taiz, Yemen
A Yemeni photojournalist has been shot dead in the southwestern city of Taiz, according to a local military spokesman on Monday.
Mohamed al-Taheri was killed near a hospital in southern Taiz by an unidentified sniper, Colonel Abdul Basit al-Bahar told Anadolu Agency.
No group has claimed responsibility for the killing.
Held by government forces, Taiz has been under a siege imposed by Houthi rebels since 2015.
The city has seen a spate of assassinations of military and security personnel and mosque preachers and in recent months.
Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by conflict since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.
The conflict escalated the following year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a wide-ranging air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.
The violence has devastated the country’s infrastructure, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.
The Saudi-led coalition on Saturday expressed regret over "mistakes" in a deadly airstrike on a bus in Yemen that left scores of children dead.The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said, "the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition expresses regret over the mistakes, extends its sympathies, condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims."On Aug. 9, a Saudi-led airstrike targeted a bus carrying children in Yemen’s northwestern Saada province. At least 50 people, mostly children, were killed and dozens of others injured.The coalition said it would undertake legal proceedings "to hold the ones who committed mistakes accountable."It also pledged voluntary assistance to those affected in the attack.Lt. Gen. Mansour al-Mansour, the head of the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT), said in a press conference in Riyadh that the videos of the aircraft that launched the strike were being investigated."The authorities were informed that there were Houthi leaders in the bus. The order to hit the bus in an area away from the civilians was given when the bus was moving. As there was no nearby warplane in the area, the target could not be hit at that moment. After the bus stopped at a place where there were civilians around, another order not to target the bus was given but the order arrived late." The airstrike was the latest in a series of attacks by the U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition in the country. The forces entered Yemen three years prior in order to fight Houthi rebels who had taken over the Yemeni government in the capital, Sanaa.Yemen has been wracked by war since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa.The loss of the capital forced President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and his government to take up temporary residence in Yemen’s coastal city of Aden.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- accusing the Houthis of serving as Iranian proxies -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains and shoring up Hadi’s pro-Saudi government.UN-sponsored peace talks held in Kuwait the following year failed to end the destructive conflict.The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.
Saudi-led coalition admits mistakes in Yemen bus strike
The Iran-aligned armed Houthi movement targeted a Saudi Arabian warship off the coast of Saudi Arabia's province of Jizan, the group's Al Masirah TV said on Saturday on its Twitter feed.There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, or comment from the Saudi-led coalition that is battling the Houthis in Yemen's civil war. Yemen journalist killed while covering Al-Bayda clashesFive soldiers killed in suspected Qaeda attack in S. YemenYemen's Houthis say missile fired at Saudi Arabia's Najran regionSaudi-led coalition to respond to UN Yemen report
Yemen's Houthis say target a Saudi warship
Angry demonstrators on Monday blocked a number of main roads in Yemen’s eastern Hadhramaut province in protest of the rising cost of living as a result of the local currency collapse.The Yemeni riyal severely plunged against foreign currencies in the past few days. One dollar is traded now for 600 riyals, from only 513 riyals in mid-August.“Protesters set tires on fire in the streets of Seiyun city in protest of Yemeni currency collapse and rising prices,” a local resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Andolu Agency.In the city of Al-Qatn, stores shut their doors in protest of the deteriorating economic situation.On Sunday, Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi ordered an increase in oil exports and a pay raise for civil servants as part of efforts to deal with the currency collapse.In January, Saudi Arabia intervened to save the local currency by depositing $2 billion in the Yemeni Central Bank, but the move seems to have a little impact on strengthening the Yemeni currency.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by conflict since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.The conflict escalated the following year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a wide-ranging air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.The violence has devastated the country’s infrastructure, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.
War-weary Yemenis protest local currency collapse
The U.S. on Sunday welcomed the Saudi Arabia-led coalition's admission that it had made "mistakes" in a deadly airstrike on a bus in Yemen that left scores of children dead."The United States regards the Saudi-led Coalition's announcement that it will review their rules of engagement, hold those at fault accountable, and compensate victims following the Joint Incident Assessment Team's finding that last month's Sa'ada air strikes lacked justification as an important first step toward full transparency and accountability," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.She said Washington continues to call on all sides to abide by the Law of Armed Conflict, to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, and thoroughly investigate and ensure accountability for any violations.Saudi-led coalition admits mistakes in Yemen bus strike"It is imperative that all parties work toward a comprehensive political solution to avoid further harm to the Yemeni people," read the statement.The statement came a day after the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said : "The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition expresses regret over the mistakes, extends its sympathies, condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims."On Aug. 9, a Saudi-led airstrike targeted a bus carrying children in Yemen’s northwestern Saada province. At least 50 people, mostly children, were killed and dozens of others injured.The coalition said it would undertake legal proceedings "to hold the ones who committed mistakes accountable". It also pledged voluntary assistance to those affected in the attack.Saudi official hints at plan to dig canal on Qatar borderUS aiding Saudi war crimes in Yemen: NY Times
US welcomes Saudi Arabia's admission about Yemen strike