Airstrike kills dozens in northern Yemen

SANA'A, Yemen, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Yemeni military airstrikes against Houthi rebels Thursday killed at least 85 civilians at a refugee camp in the country's Adi area, witnesses said.

Witnesses told News Yemen that the first strike occurred while the displaced citizens slept beneath trees and in tents. Another strike hit people as they tried to flee, the witnesses said.

The attacks were in the Adi area in the district of Harf Sufyan in northern Yemen.

The refugees are in an area that is difficult for relief agencies to reach because of fighting between the army and the Shiite Houthi followers.

Human Rights Watch called on the Yemeni government to investigate who was responsible for the air attacks and urged all parties in the conflict to respect the prohibition under international law against targeting civilians.

A witness said Yemeni military planes conducted four raids and, without warning, bombed a group of displaced persons, HRW said in a release. There was no fighting going on in the area at the time, the witness said, but the area was near a road sometimes used by Houthi rebels.

"The Yemeni government should be investigating what may have been a horrific attack on civilians," said Joe Stork, HRW's deputy Middle East director. "Civilians should never be attacked."