Saudi helicopter butchers Somali refugees from Yemen

This video says about itself:

17 March 2017

Thirty-one Somali refugees were killed off the coast of Yemen late on Thursday when a helicopter attacked the boat they were traveling in. Reports say the refugees, were on their way from Yemen to Sudan when they were attacked by an Apache helicopter near the Bab al-Mandeb strait. They were said to have been carrying official UNHCR documents. 80 refugees were rescued after the incident.

First, there was the United States Pentagon and other NATO militarists-supported war in Somalia.

It led to millions of Somali refugees, fleeing to, eg, Yemen.

Then came the United States Pentagon and other NATO militarists-supported war on Yemen.

It killed many civilians, including refugees.

So, now many Somalis are fleeing again, this time from Yemen.

From Common Dreams in the USA:

Friday, March 17, 2017

Local Official Says US-Built Apache Helicopter Behind Massacre of Refugees

Signs suggest the refugees, who were carrying official United Nations documents, were attacked by Saudi-led coalition helicopter

by Deirdre Fulton, staff writer

At least 31 Somali refugees are dead after the boat they were traveling in from Yemen to Sudan was attacked by what might have been a U.S.-made Apache helicopter.

International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed “dozens of deaths and many dozens of survivors brought to hospitals.”

A local coastguard officer told Reuters that “the refugees, carrying official [United Nations Refugee Agency] documents, were on their way from Yemen to Sudan when they were attacked by an Apache helicopter near the Bab al-Mandeb strait.”

If the reports are true, Yemen Peace Project director of policy and advocacy Kate Kizer noted online, the Apache helicopter “likely was U.S. sold, #Saudi manned (last sale last fall).”

Middle East Eye reported: “Photos from the scene showed bodies of men, women, and children laid out on the ground at a small harbor, covered in pieces of colored fabric.”

The outlet added:

It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, although the Saudi-led coalition is known to fly Apache helicopters near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and carries millions of barrels of oil per day.

Local news site Aden al-Ghad reported that jets from the Saudi-led coalition—which has led a ground and air campaign against Houthi rebels since March 2015—had “intensified its strikes” in Hudaida on Thursday.

“Coalition planes launched dozens of strikes on coastal areas of Hudaida, in support of advances by troops on the ground,” a local source told the site, which is known to be opposed to the Houthi rebels.

The Guardian further reported:

There was no immediate comment from the coalition. Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition in the war in Yemen, has U.S.-built Apache A-64 Longbow attack helicopters.

The kingdom’s Al-Madinah class frigates, one of which was damaged in an attack by a Houthi militia in January, are also capable of carrying a single helicopter. Other naval forces operating in the area are also equipped with helicopters, including the U.S. military.

The U.N. Refugee Agency said it was “appalled by this tragic incident, the latest in which civilians continue to disproportionately bear the brunt of conflict in Yemen.”

UPI reported Thursday that Boeing just this week “received a $3.2 billion contract modification to support the U.S. Army’s foreign military sale of Apache helicopters to Saudi Arabia.” The U.S. has already sold dozens of Apaches to Saudi Arabia, along with billions in additional arms. On Tuesday, Amnesty International urged the Trump administration to halt future sales immediately.

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