Saudi-led airstrikes mistakenly kill 8 pro-government fighters in southern Yemen

At least eight pro-government fighters were mistakenly killed and several others injured in airstrikes carried out by Saudi-led warplanes in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Monday, a tribal chief told Xinhua.

The tribal source said on condition of anonymity that the Saudi-led warplanes targeted the positions manned by pro-government fighters with three airstrikes that left eight killed at the scene.

"Instead of targeting the Shiite Houthi rebels who escalated their assault in the outskirts of Abyan province, the pro-government fighters lost their lives in friendly fire from the Saudi warplanes," the local source said.

The incident sparked anger among the tribal fighters allied with the Saudi-backed government forces in confronting Houthis in southern Yemen, he said.

A government source confirmed that the incident occurred due to receiving wrong information that resulted from weak communication with forces on-ground.

Armed forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Shiite Houthi



group intensified on Monday their attacks against areas controlled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Saleh and his allies vowed Sunday to launch more revenge attacks against the bordering regions of Saudi Arabia and the government forces in Yemen.

The situation in Yemen has deteriorated economically and politically since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and the government backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition.

Houthis and Saleh's forces hold most of Yemen's northern regions while government forces share control of the rest of the country including seven southern provinces.

The civil war, ground battles and airstrikes have already killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, injured more than 35,000 others and displaced over two millions, according to humanitarian agencies.