Strikes on Southern Transitional Council are first fatal coalition attack on group since it seized swathes of southern Yemen
Strikes on Southern Transitional Council are first fatal coalition attack on group since it seized swathes of southern Yemen
Saudi warplanes have targeted separatist fighters in Yemen, killing seven in a counterattack against a sweeping advance by the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council.
The deaths on Friday are the first from coalition fire since the secessionist STC seized swathes of Hadramout and al-Mahra provinces last month.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have for years supported rival factions in Yemen’s government-run territories, but the STC’s offensive has angered Riyadh and left the oil-rich Gulf powers at loggerheads.
Mohammed Abdulmalik, the head of the STC in Wadi Hadramaot and Hadramaot desert, said seven airstrikes hit the al-Khasah camp, killing seven and wounding more than 20.
Further strikes targeted other sites in the same region, he added.
The air raids came shortly after pro-Saudi forces launched a campaign to “peacefully” take control of military sites in Hadramout.
“This operation is not a declaration of war, nor an attempt to escalate tensions,” the Hadramout governor, Salem al-Khanbashi, also leader of the province’s Saudi-backed local forces, was quoted as saying by the Saba Net news agency.
