US-Made Munitions Linked to Dozens of Child Casualties in Yemen
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, data published by Al-Manar news channel indicates that while Saudi Arabia’s aggression against Yemen has intensified in recent days, the review of crimes recorded during years of war and destruction in Yemen from March 2015 to July 2020 shows that Yemeni children have formed a significant portion of the victims of these attacks.
In August 2018, an airstrike on a bus in the Majz district of Saada province, which was transporting Yemeni schoolchildren, resulted in the deaths of at least 51 people. American 500-pound munitions were used in this attack. The Saudi-led coalition claimed at the time that an error had occurred in carrying out the strike.
Airstrikes in June 2015 in Saada, specifically in the village of Al-Aram, led to the martyrdom of 36 children and widespread destruction of Yemeni homes. On September 15 of the same year, three airstrikes against the Baqem district resulted in the deaths of 11 children and women. An attack on the Al-Hazira area in Sanaa on July 10, 2015, caused the deaths of at least 11 women and children. The Al-Khamis market in Hajjah province witnessed airstrikes in March 2016, during which 25 children were killed. It was also announced at the time that this airstrike was carried out using American munitions.
The Hodeidah province also saw an attack on a vehicle carrying Yemeni refugees in August 2018, which led to the deaths of 22 children. In September 2016, an attack on the Al-Houk market in Hodeidah killed seven children and destroyed 14 homes. An airstrike in May 2019 on a gas station in Mawiyah killed seven children.
The targeting of a school in the Haydan district of Saada province in August 2016, with children aged eight and above present, resulted in 38 deaths and injuries. Al-Falah primary school in northeast Sanaa was also targeted in January 2017, leading to the deaths of eight children. Airstrikes in February 2020 against residential areas in Al-Masloub district caused 44 child casualties, including deaths and injuries.
Furthermore, the targeting of residential homes in March 2019 in Hajjah province led to the deaths of 12 children. Attacks on residential areas in Hajjah in July 2020 resulted in the deaths of eight women and children; in July 2017, an attack on Al-Mukha killed seven children; and in September 2016, an attack on Sanaa killed five children.
Sixteen children were killed in an attack on a wedding ceremony in the village of Sanban in October 2015. The targeting of residential homes belonging to the electricity generation company in the city of Al-Mukha in July 2015 resulted in the deaths of 10 children.
