Houthi missile attack on Shabwa: death toll rises to 73 young men aged 18 to 20

The death toll from the missile attack by the Houthis, allies of the Islamic Republic, on the al-Alam training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province has risen to 73 as of Tuesday, 20 October, far higher than the 53 dead reported in DIAR's earlier report. A senior Yemeni government official announced the figure and said all the victims were newly recruited troops.

Awad Ibn al-Wazir, the governor of Shabwa, said all those killed were young men aged 18 to 20 and that more than 200 other new recruits were also wounded. According to a Yemeni official, some of the wounded are in critical condition and have been transferred to hospitals in other provinces. At least 15 of the dead were from the al-Awlaki tribe and 16 from the al-Marazeeq tribe.

Three ballistic missiles on a camp of new recruits

According to Shabwa's local government, on Monday, 19 October the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at the al-Alam camp in the Jardan district, north of Ataq, the capital of Shabwa province. The camp sits on one of the main supply routes to Marib. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack and said they had killed and wounded dozens of people, without giving further details.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday Saudi Arabia reported intercepting a Houthi ballistic missile over Riyadh, and the sound of an explosion was heard in the north of the city. Britain also announced that it is sending Typhoon fighter jets to defend Saudi airspace, but will not strike Houthi positions. Tom Barrack, the US special envoy, said Saudi Arabia is in a very difficult position and that Washington is providing the necessary logistical support but is not ready to send troops.

Background

In recent weeks the Houthis have stepped up their missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and on Yemeni government forces, and the Islamic Republic is accused of backing these attacks by shipping missile parts on Mahan Air flights.

The missile attack by the Houthis, allies of the Islamic Republic, on the al-Alam camp in Shabwa has killed 73 young men aged 18 to 20.