Yemen: 53 recruits killed, 200 injured in Houthi airstrike on security training center

Aden, October 19 (KUNA) -- The local authority in Yemen’s Shabwa province announced on Monday that a missile attack by Houthi militias on the “Shahid Ahmed Al-Sulaimani” training center, involving three ballistic missiles, killed 53 recruits and injured 200 others, according to preliminary figures.

In a statement, the local authority said the attack targeted new recruits in the Internal Security forces while they were undergoing training and security qualification at the center, adding that the strike represented a serious military escalation and an assault on the security and stability of the province.

The statement held the Houthi militias fully responsible for the attack and the human casualties it inflicted on the province’s residents, emphasizing that the scale of the incident necessitates immediate military and security measures to prevent such attacks from recurring.

It called on the Presidential Leadership Council, the government, and the coalition supporting legitimacy to provide air defense systems, early warning and surveillance means, and to bolster the defensive capabilities of Shabwa province.

It also confirmed that the victims would be recognized as “martyrs of duty,” with their pensions permanently secured for their families, and guaranteed the rights of the victims and the injured, ensuring their entitlements are paid without delay.

Earlier on Monday, the official spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Colonel Majid Al-Nazili, said that Houthi militias had targeted a training center for members of security and police agencies in Shabwa province with three ballistic missiles, noting that the militias deliberately target and kill Yemenis across various governorates. (End) S.N.S. / N.S.A.