SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Monday's accidental attack on a Yemeni wedding party drew references to the United States' December 2013 drone bombing of another wedding party in Yemen, which resulted in the death of the 15 people. (Photo: AFP)
Wedding Party Death Toll Jumps to 131 as US-Backed Coalition Denies Wrongdoing
Many women and children among the dead in attack initially reported as a 'mistake'
Sep 28, 2015
Updated Sept. 29 8:30 AM EDT:
The death toll from the bombing of a Yemeni wedding party on Monday has jumped to 131 people, "making it one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Yemen's war," Reutersreports.
Initially reported as a "mistaken" air strike by the Saudi-led coalition, the U.S. backed group is now denying its role in the civilian tragedy as a coalition spokesperson "suggested local militias may have been responsible" for targeting the party, which included many women and children.
Earlier:
Saudi Arabia-led airstrikes "mistakenly" struck a wedding party in Yemen early Monday killing at least 38 people, many of which were women and children.
The U.S.-backed coalition was purportedly targeting Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, when it bombed a celebration in al-Wahga, a village near the strategic Strait of Bab al-Mandab. One senior government official declared the two airstrikes a "mistake."
According to the BBC, "First reports from the village said that 12 women, eight children and seven men had been killed, with dozens more wounded, when the air strike hit two tents during a wedding for a local man linked to the Houthi group."
And the Associated Press notes that the village in which the strikes took place "lies in the battered Taiz province, where civilians routinely fall victim to daily Saudi airstrikes as well as rebel mortar shells."
The United Nations estimates that roughly 4,900 people have been killed and more than 25,000 wounded in the six months since the Saudi-led bombing campaign began in March. Further, roughly 21 million of Yemen's population of 25 million have been impacted by the conflict.
The incident immediately drew references to the United States' December 2013 drone bombing of another wedding party in Yemen, which resulted in the death of 15 people. Among those who connected the two attacks, blogger Marcy Wheeler wrote on Twitter:
\u201cTo be fair, the US would have a hard time calling out Saudi Arabia for killing a bunch of Yemenis at a wedding party.\n#DoAsISayNotAsIDo\u201d— emptywheel (@emptywheel) 1443453945
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Updated Sept. 29 8:30 AM EDT:
The death toll from the bombing of a Yemeni wedding party on Monday has jumped to 131 people, "making it one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Yemen's war," Reutersreports.
Initially reported as a "mistaken" air strike by the Saudi-led coalition, the U.S. backed group is now denying its role in the civilian tragedy as a coalition spokesperson "suggested local militias may have been responsible" for targeting the party, which included many women and children.
Earlier:
Saudi Arabia-led airstrikes "mistakenly" struck a wedding party in Yemen early Monday killing at least 38 people, many of which were women and children.
The U.S.-backed coalition was purportedly targeting Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, when it bombed a celebration in al-Wahga, a village near the strategic Strait of Bab al-Mandab. One senior government official declared the two airstrikes a "mistake."
According to the BBC, "First reports from the village said that 12 women, eight children and seven men had been killed, with dozens more wounded, when the air strike hit two tents during a wedding for a local man linked to the Houthi group."
And the Associated Press notes that the village in which the strikes took place "lies in the battered Taiz province, where civilians routinely fall victim to daily Saudi airstrikes as well as rebel mortar shells."
The United Nations estimates that roughly 4,900 people have been killed and more than 25,000 wounded in the six months since the Saudi-led bombing campaign began in March. Further, roughly 21 million of Yemen's population of 25 million have been impacted by the conflict.
The incident immediately drew references to the United States' December 2013 drone bombing of another wedding party in Yemen, which resulted in the death of 15 people. Among those who connected the two attacks, blogger Marcy Wheeler wrote on Twitter:
\u201cTo be fair, the US would have a hard time calling out Saudi Arabia for killing a bunch of Yemenis at a wedding party.\n#DoAsISayNotAsIDo\u201d— emptywheel (@emptywheel) 1443453945
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Updated Sept. 29 8:30 AM EDT:
The death toll from the bombing of a Yemeni wedding party on Monday has jumped to 131 people, "making it one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Yemen's war," Reutersreports.
Initially reported as a "mistaken" air strike by the Saudi-led coalition, the U.S. backed group is now denying its role in the civilian tragedy as a coalition spokesperson "suggested local militias may have been responsible" for targeting the party, which included many women and children.
Earlier:
Saudi Arabia-led airstrikes "mistakenly" struck a wedding party in Yemen early Monday killing at least 38 people, many of which were women and children.
The U.S.-backed coalition was purportedly targeting Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, when it bombed a celebration in al-Wahga, a village near the strategic Strait of Bab al-Mandab. One senior government official declared the two airstrikes a "mistake."
According to the BBC, "First reports from the village said that 12 women, eight children and seven men had been killed, with dozens more wounded, when the air strike hit two tents during a wedding for a local man linked to the Houthi group."
And the Associated Press notes that the village in which the strikes took place "lies in the battered Taiz province, where civilians routinely fall victim to daily Saudi airstrikes as well as rebel mortar shells."
The United Nations estimates that roughly 4,900 people have been killed and more than 25,000 wounded in the six months since the Saudi-led bombing campaign began in March. Further, roughly 21 million of Yemen's population of 25 million have been impacted by the conflict.
The incident immediately drew references to the United States' December 2013 drone bombing of another wedding party in Yemen, which resulted in the death of 15 people. Among those who connected the two attacks, blogger Marcy Wheeler wrote on Twitter:
\u201cTo be fair, the US would have a hard time calling out Saudi Arabia for killing a bunch of Yemenis at a wedding party.\n#DoAsISayNotAsIDo\u201d— emptywheel (@emptywheel) 1443453945
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.