Airstrikes in Yemen Kill Allies of Saudi-Led Coalition, Witnesses Say

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/world/middleeast/airstrikes-in-yemen-kill-allies-of-saudi-led-coalition-witnesses-say.html

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SANA, Yemen — Warplanes from a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes Tuesday in Yemen that killed at least 16 fighters allied with the Saudi-led group, witnesses said.

The victims were fighters supporting President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was forced into exile by Yemen’s Houthi rebels this year.

Saudi Arabia launched a military offensive against the Houthis in late March to restore Mr. Hadi to power, and has faced criticism for relying on airstrikes that have sometimes fallen near civilian homes or facilities. Around noon on Tuesday, warplanes bombed a group of pro-Hadi fighters in Jawf Province in the north, killing at least 16 fighters, including three senior leaders, according to a fighter who was near the site of the bombing.

Separate airstrikes around the same time, in the southwestern province of Ibb, also killed pro-Hadi fighters, a security official said, but the toll from that strike could not be immediately confirmed.