Sana’a: Yemen’s southern city Aden was battered by the heaviest night yet of Saudi-led air strikes targeting Shia rebels yesterday as the Red Cross and UN flew medical aid into capital Sana’a.
The United Nations also called for a daily “humanitarian pause” of a few hours, saying aid was desperately needed in the conflict-ravaged country.
Residents and officials in Aden said the city was pounded after Houthi Shia rebels and renegade soldiers loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh reached the city’s northern entrance.
“The raids began at around 10 pm (1900 GMT) on Thursday and were the most violent since the start of ‘Operation Decisive Storm’,” a resident said.
Residents also said coalition aircraft targeted other positions, including a city centre stadium and rebel-manned checkpoints.
In Riyadh, coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Al Assiri told reporters the latest raids targeted rebel military camps in nine towns across Yemen.
UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Johannes Van Der Klaauw, told reporters in Geneva that an “immediate humanitarian pause in this conflict” was desperately needed.
He insisted that the aid delivered to date was far from sufficient.
Medical sources in Aden said yesterday that Houthi snipers there had killed three civilians — an old woman, a child and a man.
The World Health Organization said nearly 650 people have been killed and more than 2,000 injured in the fighting, but the actual number of fatalities is likely to be far higher since many people are not reaching hospitals and being buried immediately, Van Der Klaauw said.
The Saudi-led coalition says it will continue its raids on Yemen until Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who seized control of Sana’a and central areas last year, retreat to their northern mountain stronghold.
In fighting yesterday, witnesses in the south reported 19 rebels killed in two attacks, while Houthi artillery targeting tribal forces in the central Ibb region killed six people, officials there said.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged the warring factions to return to political talks, which were aimed at ending Yemen’s slide into chaos since Saleh’s 2012 ousting.
“The last thing the region and our world need is more of the chaos and crimes we have seen in Libya and Syria,” Ban said ahead of a trip to Qatar.
AFP
Islamabad: Pakistan’s parliament yesterday voted to stay out of the conflict in Yemen, rejecting Saudi demands for Islamabad to join its military coalition against Shia Houthi rebels.
A unanimous resolution passed by a special session of parliament backed the government’s commitment to protect Saudi Arabia’s territory, which has so far not been threatened by the conflict.
But it said Pakistan should play a mediating role and not get involved in fighting in Yemen — turning down long-standing ally Riyadh’s request for troops, ships and warplanes.
“Parliament of Pakistan... underscores the need for continued efforts by the government of Pakistan to find a peaceful resolution of the crisis,” the resolution said. “(Parliament) desires that Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict so as to be able to play a proactive diplomatic role to end the crisis.”
The motion is not binding, but Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said last week that any Pakistani participation would need the backing of parliament.
Saudi Arabia played down the decision. “The presence of our Pakistani brothers would be an addition, but the lack of their ground, naval or air deployment will not affect the operations of the coalition,” he added.AGENCIES
