More than 80 civilians were killed in an air raid which blasted a makeshift camp of displaced people in northern Yemen, witnesses said on Thursday, as the army pursued its offensive on Shia rebels. One witness, reached by telephone, told AFP that most of those killed in Wednesday's raid were women and children.
The attack was carried out by a "warplane (that) targeted displaced families who had gathered under trees in the area of Adi," in Amran province - scene of heavy fighting between the army and the rebels, the witness said, asking not to be identified. A rebel statement condemned the attack, accusing the Sanaa government, which has vowed to crush the five-year-old rebellion, committing a massacre.
"The bloodthirsty authorities have committed a new massacre," said a statement issued by the Huthi rebels. It said that government MiG warplanes at 12:00 noon (0900 GMT) on Wednesday had targeted displaced people gathering along the Barata road, close to Adi village near Harf Sufyan, which lies on the route linking Saada to the capital. "Dozens were killed and the bodies were blown away by the impact of the strike," the statement said. The Yemeni army, which launched operation Scorched Earth against the rebels on August 11, said Thursday it has delivered heavy blows "over the past hours."