Saudi Airstrike Hits Busload of Yemeni Civilians, Killing at Least 20

Strike Was Along the Main Highway Between Aden and Sanaa

With peace talks set for this weekend, Saudi Arabia seems to be picking up the pace in their airstrikes against targets in Yemen, and getting even less careful than ever in their selection, with reports that they hit a busload of civilians on the main highway north of Aden, killing at least 20 within.

Details are still scant on the incident, with officials only saying the attack happened earlier in the week and that the bus was apparently bound for the capital city of Sanaa. Launched in mid-March, the Saudi war has killed over 1,000 Yemeni civilians.

Earlier in the war, a lot of the civilian casualties were caused when airstrikes targeted Yemeni military depots, setting off chains of explosions that spread to nearby residential areas. Lately, it seems, the strikes aren’t targeting even theoretical targets, but things like a farmer whose truck was loaded down with potatoes.

Aid groups continue to push heavily for an end to the strikes and for the naval blockade that is keeping Yemenis from importing basic aid and foodstuffs, a vital restriction in a nation which imports about 90% of its food.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.