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Anti-Houthi Yemen coalition forms team to assess rules of engagement
This should go well...RIYADH: The Saudi-led Arab coalition battling Shiite rebels in Yemen announced Sunday the creation of an independent commission of inquiry to examine charges of possible abuses against civilians in the conflict. In a brief statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the coalition said it formed “an independent team of experts in international humanitarian law and weapons to assess the incidents and investigate the rules of engagement.” The coalition said the objective was to “develop a clear and comprehensive report on each incident with the conclusions, lessons learned, recommendations and measures that should be taken” to spare civilians. A panel of United Nations experts in a report obtained by AFP on Tuesday said the coalition has carried out 119 sorties that violated humanitarian law, and it called for an international commission of inquiry. The coalition command said it regrets civilian deaths in the country, but asserted that these were "unintended," and was investigating the matter and improving its targeting mechanisms. Yemen descended into chaos when Iran-backed Houthi militias and loyalists of former Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh fought the UN-recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, prompting neighboring Gulf and other Arab countries to intervene. More than 5,800 people have since been killed and 27,000 wounded, according to UN figures. About 60 percent of all civilian deaths and injuries were caused by air-launched explosives, the report said. Posted by: badanov 2016-02-01 |
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