Missiles Fired at Yemen Military Base Mosque, Killing 22

Missiles Were Likely Fired by Houthis, But No Claims of Responsibility

A pair of missiles hit a mosque in the Kofal military base in Yemen’s Maarib Province today, killing at least 22 people. The military base, and most of the surrounding area, is under the control of the Saudi-backed Hadi government, and its forces.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack on the base, but early speculation is that this was likely an attack by the Shi’ite Houthis, who control most of northern Yemen, as they have access to most of Yemen’s old pre-war missile arsenal.

The two missile strikes were spaced apart, with the first strike causing a number of casualties and attracting rescue workers, and a second strike hammering the same site and hitting rescue workers who had arrived. Dozens of people were wounded between the two strikes.

Maarib Province, in central Yemen, is a mostly rural area, and has been fought over regularly during the Saudi invasion. The first offensive by Saudi forces aimed to reach the capital of Sanaa through Taiz, but when fighting there stalled they attempted to go through Maarib instead.

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.