A coalition body has ruled that an air attack by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen last month that killed dozens of people, including children travelling on a bus, lacked military justification and requires a review of the rules of engagement.
The rare concession by the Joint Incident Assessment Team, an investigative entity set up by the coalition, follows mounting international pressure, including from allies, to do more to limit civilian casualties in the 3-1/2 year civil war.
Fifty-one people were killed and a further 79 wounded, of which 56 were children in the Saudi-led coalition air strikes, as stated in early august by the health minister for Yemen’s armed Houthi group.
Last week, a U.N. panel of human rights experts said that some coalition air strikes may constitute war crimes, while U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition was not unconditional.
