Saudi city soldiers on as civilian toll mounts

AFP, NAJRAN, Saudi Arabia: It doesn’t look like there is war in Najran.
Not when you drive down King Abdul Aziz Road in the late afternoon sun, past the luxury hotel, the hypermarket and the sprawling gym in this southern Saudi city near the border with Yemen.
But enter the King Khaled Hospital and you can see what the war has done.
Saleh al-Abbas weeps outside the room where his nine-year-old son Mahdi lies with his head and face bandaged.
A Katyusha rocket struck their home around breakfast on Saturday and Mahdi’s cousin, aged three, is dead.
The boy brings to at least 31 the number of civilians killed in Najran since early last year, when Yemen’s Huthi rebels and their allies began bombarding southern Saudi Arabia in retaliation for air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition.
The Arab alliance intervened in March 2015 to support Yemen’s internationally recognised government after the Huthis seized much of the country.
At least 19 soldiers have also died in the Najran region, which is just a few kilometres (miles) from the border and has borne the brunt of rebel attacks.
“They target the civilians. The main ones suffering are the civilians,” says Colonel Ali al-Shahrani, a spokesman for the Saudi Civil Defence Department.
He says the bombardment worsened after the suspension in early August of United Nations-brokered peace talks.
“Now it’s continuous,” he tells visiting foreign reporters.
On Friday, rebels made a rare hit on Saudi infrastructure when a Katyusha hit the Saudi Electricity Company’s Najran Power Plant at the base of a mountain.
There were no injuries but it punctured an oil tank, starting a fire which left much of the facility blackened and twisted.
The tank still spewed fuel on Saturday as fire crews and officials inspected the damage.
Katyushas are short-range rockets without sophisticated guidance systems.
Escorted by the information ministry, foreign journalists on Saturday were granted rare access to Najran.
The tour coincided with increased criticism of Saudi Arabia over civilian casualties in its Yemen bombing campaign.
On Thursday the UN called for the creation of an independent international body to investigate an array of violations in Yemen’s war. A report laid out allegations of grave human rights abuses by all sides in the conflict. More than half of the 6,600 people killed in Yemen since March last year have been non-combatants, the UN says, adding that 6,711 were wounded.
At the King Khaled Hospital, a doctor says three Pakistani workers were also injured in the attack that saw Mahdi wounded and his cousin killed.
One of the Pakistanis, Imran Khan Aslam Khan, lies with eyes closed, his head bandaged and a tube in his mouth after surgeons removed shrapnel from his brain and heart.
“Now he is OK,” the doctor says as surgeons work on another wounded Pakistani.

 

Saudi city soldiers on as civilian toll mounts

AFP, NAJRAN, Saudi Arabia: It doesnt look like there is war in Najran. Not when you drive down King Abdul Aziz Road in the late afternoon sun, past the luxury hotel, the hypermarket and the sprawling gym in this southern Saudi city near the border with Yemen. But enter the King Khaled Hospital and you can see what the war has done. Saleh al-Abbas weeps outside the room where his nine-year-old son Mahdi lies with his head and face bandaged. A Katyusha rocket struck their home around breakfast on Saturday and Mahdis cousin, aged three, is dead. The boy brings to at least 31 the number of civilians killed in Najran since early last year, when Yemens Huthi rebels and their allies began bombarding southern Saudi Arabia in retaliation for air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition. The Arab alliance intervened in March 2015 to support Yemens internationally recognised government after the Huthis seized much of the country. At least 19 soldiers have also died in the Najran region, which is just a few kilometres (miles) from the border and has borne the brunt of rebel attacks. They target the civilians. The main ones suffering are the civilians, says Colonel Ali al-Shahrani, a spokesman for the Saudi Civil Defence Department. He says the bombardment worsened after the suspension in early August of United Nations-brokered peace talks. Now its continuous, he tells visiting foreign reporters. On Friday, rebels made a rare hit on Saudi infrastructure when a Katyusha hit the Saudi Electricity Companys Najran Power Plant at the base of a mountain. There were no injuries but it punctured an oil tank, starting a fire which left much of the facility blackened and twisted. The tank still spewed fuel on Saturday as fire crews and officials inspected the damage. Katyushas are short-range rockets without sophisticated guidance systems. Escorted by the information ministry, foreign journalists on Saturday were granted rare access to Najran. The tour coincided with increased criticism of Saudi Arabia over civilian casualties in its Yemen bombing campaign. On Thursday the UN called for the creation of an independent international body to investigate an array of violations in Yemens war. A report laid out allegations of grave human rights abuses by all sides in the conflict. More than half of the 6,600 people killed in Yemen since March last year have been non-combatants, the UN says, adding that 6,711 were wounded. At the King Khaled Hospital, a doctor says three Pakistani workers were also injured in the attack that saw Mahdi wounded and his cousin killed. One of the Pakistanis, Imran Khan Aslam Khan, lies with eyes closed, his head bandaged and a tube in his mouth after surgeons removed shrapnel from his brain and heart. Now he is OK, the doctor says as surgeons work on another wounded Pakistani.