Yemen Monitor – Marib – Exclusive:
An international monitor has revealed that the number of civilian casualties in Yemen caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign over just 52 days is nearly equal to the total killed by US drone strikes over the past 23 years.
The new report, issued by the war casualties watchdog Airwars, highlights that 224 civilians were killed in just 52 days during the Operation “Rough Rider” campaign — a figure that almost matches the total number of civilian deaths from 23 years of prior U.S. operations in Yemen.
The monitor stated that at least 224 civilians were killed between the start of the operation in mid-March and a ceasefire in May — representing a massive escalation compared to previous US campaigns. Including the 258 civilians reportedly killed during the past 23 years of U.S. operations targeting the Houthis, Al-Qaeda, and other groups, the total civilian toll from US bombings in Yemen nears 500.
The deadliest two incidents involving civilian casualties ever publicly recorded in the history of U.S. military operations in Yemen occurred during Trump’s campaign. Strikes on Ras Isa Port and Saada Reserve Prison reportedly killed at least 152 civilians and wounded nearly 200 others. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International questioned the legality of both attacks.
A ceasefire brokered in late May between the Houthis and the United States appears to be holding, even though fighting continues between Israel and the Houthis. This week, the Houthis announced their alignment with Iran’s war effort and declared on Saturday that they would target U.S. ships if the US intervened in support of Israel against Iran.
The campaign stated, “The sheer scale of the campaign resulted in an unprecedented level of civilian casualties per incident. During ‘Operation Rough Rider,’ Airwars documented more incidents with higher victim counts per strike compared to any other US campaign.”
Some of the latest munitions in the US military arsenal were deployed, including the first documented combat use of the StormBreaker bomb – a new US precision-guided munition.
Civilian harm incidents were concentrated in densely populated cities like Sana’a and Saada. This differed from President Biden’s campaign against the Houthis, where civilian harm was typically spread across less densely populated areas in western Yemen.
