Saudi Warplanes Kill 30 Allies in Yemen Friendly-Fire Incident

40 Others Wounded in Bombing of Coalition Base

by Jason Ditz, 

Saudi warplanes have come under growing criticism for the massive civilian death toll in their months of bombing Yemen. They insist the attacks aren’t intention, and their incompetence in hitting actual enemies seems to be growing all the time.

Today, in their airstrikes against the Taiz Province, Saudi planes attacked a military base belonging to their own coalition, killing 30 allied fighters and wounding 40 others. The official statement was simply that the plane “hit the wrong target.”

This is the latest in a string of friendly-fire incidents by the Saudi warplanes, and the first which hit one of their own bases. Previous incidents saw the airstrikes hitting troops marching against Houthi positions, stalling their own offensives.

The Taiz Province was also the site of a massive Saudi airstrike against a wedding party last month, which killed 131 civilians. This incident caused a lot of criticism during the UN General Assembly, though ultimately Saudi objections prevented the UN from passing a resolution on an independent investigation.

http://news.antiwar.com/2015/10/17/saudi-warplanes-kill-30-allies-in-yemen-friendly-fire-incident/