Dozens killed in attack on Yemen military camp

Yemen's president tells army to be on alert and says Houthis have no desire for peace

Children play in front of a wall that depicts Houthi fighters killed in Yemen’s ongoing conflict. Photograph: EPA
Children play in front of a wall that depicts Houthi fighters killed in Yemen’s ongoing conflict. Photograph: EPA

Yemen’s president told the military on Sunday it needs to be on high alert and ready for battle following an attack on Saturday by Iran-aligned Houthis on a military training camp in the city of Marib.

The attack “confirms without doubt that the Houthis have no desire for peace”, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said, in a statement on Yemen’s state news agency SABA.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for Saturday’s attack.

The attack killed 79 people and wounded 81, according to a military statement. Sources said the attack targeted a mosque in the camp as people gathered for prayer.

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A proxy war has been playing out in Yemen between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to restore Hadi’s government, which the Houthis ousted from power in the capital Sanaa and is now based in the southern port city of Aden.

The Houthis deny being puppets of Iran and say they are fighting a corrupt system. – Reuters