Air strike kills 14 Yemen pro-govt fighters by ‘mistake’

At least 14 pro-government troops were killed when a Saudi-led coalition air raid targeted their position “by mistake”, tribal and military sources said on Friday.

“The air force bombed a gathering of fighters in the region of Harib believing them to be Huthi rebels,” a military source said. A tribal chief confirmed the overnight strike, saying that those killed appeared to be local tribesmen fighting on the side of the forces loyal to exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. <g data-gr-id="15">Harib</g> is around 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Marib, the capital of the central province.

Loyalist forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, say they are advancing on the ground in <g data-gr-id="16">Marib</g> as part of a major counter offensive against Shiite Huthi rebels, who last year stormed Yemen’s capital and seized large parts of the country. Coalition aircraft launched a series of raids Friday morning on rebel positions in the south of the province, military sources said.

The UN says nearly 4,900 people have been killed since late <g data-gr-id="14">March,</g> while 21 million out of Yemen’s population of 25 million have been affected by the conflict.