One civilian was killed and between six and seven others, including at least one child, were injured by alleged US-UK airstrikes on a telecommunications site in the Shamir area in the Maqbanah District on February 24, 2024.
Anadolu Agency quoted the Houthi Al-Masirah satellite channel which reported that “a citizen (civilian) was killed and 6 others, all from one family, were injured, as a result of the US-British aggression’s air strikes on the Shamir area in the Maqbana District in Taiz Governorate.” The Yemen Data Project reported that in addition to the civilian who was killed, seven others were injured.
The Human Rights Office in Taiz Governorate condemned the “American-British aggression coalition aircraft carried out this morning” which struck “the communications network in the Al-Aqhouz area”. The Human Rights Office and the Insan Organization for Rights and Liberties also provided the names of the victims. Saber Muhammad Amin Ghalib, between 22-25 years old, was killed and six others were injured: Rafiq Abdullah Muhammad Hassan, 16-18 years old, various body parts; Watheq Abdullah Amin Ghalib, 25-28 years old, seriously injured; Abdel Samad Muhammad Ahmed Ghaleb, 15 years old, fracture of the right foot; Hammam Fayed Amir Ghalib, 32-41 years old, various body parts; Ahmed Muhammad Ahmed Ghaleb, 23 years old, various body parts; Saqr Hamid Hamid Ghalib, 22-24 years old, various body parts.
US Central Command released a statement that “at approximately 11:45 p.m. (Sanaa Yemen time), U.S. Central Command forces alongside UK Armed Forces, and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, conducted strikes against 18 Houthi targets in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen….The targets included Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one- way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter.”
The UK Ministry of Defence announced: “Four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s, supported by two Voyager tankers, again participated in a deliberate coalition strike on Saturday 24 February against Houthi military facilities in Yemen which had been conducting missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping and coalition naval forces in the Bab al Mandab, southern Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden. The RAF aircraft were allocated multiple targets located at two sites. Intelligence analysis had successfully identified several very long-range drones, used by the Houthis for both reconnaissance and attack missions, at a former surface-to-air missile battery site several miles north-east of Sanaa. Our aircraft used Paveway IV precision guided bombs against the drones and their launchers, notwithstanding the Houthis’ use of the old missile battery revetments to try to protect the drones.”
It is unclear if the US and/or UK statements are the same strikes which hit the Shamir area as the US and UK military did not provide a location.
The incident occured around midnight.