JEDDAH, Sept 22 (KUNA) -- The Arab coalition to support the legitimate government in Yemen affirmed Wednesday that it did not receive any information from the UN about six civilian victims to a coalition airstrike on Yemen.
Coalition Spokesperson Brigadier General Turki Al-Malki said in a statement that the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition has viewed UN Secretary-General Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric statement about the Houthi militia's recent execution of nine Yemeni civilians, one of whom was a minor in Sanaa, and his claim in the same statement that six civilian were killed in a coalition airstrike in Shabwah Governorate.
"The coalition confirms that it has not received any information nor coordination from UN OCHA in Yemen regarding this allegation as per the coordination mechanism in such cases," Al-Malki said.
"No such information has been conveyed to the coalition regarding the claimed airstrike." Al-Malki laid it bare that the coalition takes such claims seriously, investigates and validates them through the Joint Incidents Assessment Team.
He also asserted that the coalition, in its military operations, follows the international best practices in its rules of engagement and complies with the International Humanitarian Law.
"The coalition is also dynamically developing its RoEs accordingly with the operational environment. There has not been any claims of incidents during the past 14 months, which confirms that the coalition is respecting and fully implementing the Customary International Humanitarian Law, and taking all necessary procedures to spare civilians from sustaining any collateral damage," Al-Malki argued.
He noted that the coalition exercises the highest levels of prudence in the face of the Houthi militia's launching of hundreds of bomb-laden drones and ballistic missiles towards civilians and civilian facilities in Saudi cities.
Al-Malki went on to say that the coalition has not retaliated by targeting Houthi terrorist leaders and capabilities following the militia's use of civilians and civilian properties as shields to prevent being targeted by the coalition.
"We express our profound regret of linking this claim in the UN statement with the Houthi militia's crime of executing nine civilians one of whom was a minor in Sanaa," he concluded. (end) nso.ibi