The Yemeni government has formed a committee to investigate the bombing of a popular market in Hajjah province, an official source confirmed here on Saturday. "The government in collaboration with the command of the Arab coalition formed a team to begin an investigation into the bombing in Hajjah province, which resulted in civilian deaths and injuries," Yemen News Agency (SABA) quoted the source as saying. He said the team will get facts on the ground through the testimony of civilians as to whether the casualties and injuries were the result of raids by coalition forces or due to the bombing by the Houthi militias which were deliberately committing the massacres on civilians and blaming the national army, popular resistance and countries of the Arab coalition. The official source pointed out that the Houthi militias and those fighting for the ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh are responsible for the attack on civilian gatherings and popular markets. He said that there is prior coordination with the national army and the Arab coalition forces on air strikes carried out by coalition aircraft. The source said, "The Arab coalition did not come to Yemen to kill civilians as alleged by coup militias, but to stand by Yemen and its constitutional legitimacy as well as to defend the security and stability and to put an end to the coup's subversive operations caused by Houthi militiamen." He said that the operations are being conducted by the coalition aircraft with high accuracy and precision. They are primarily targeting heavy weapons. On Friday, spokesman for the Arab coalition Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Assiri said a UN report on killings in Yemen lacked "evidence." The United Nations does not base its reports on solid "evidence," the spokesman told Al Arabiya News Channel, after a report from the international body stated that the alliance had caused the vast majority of civilian deaths in Yemen. "Now there is a government that has influence of over 90 percent (of the Yemenis), so how come they were not contacted, why blame the coalition," said Al-Assiri, in reference to the internationally recognized government led by Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi. He then said: "what are the numbers and evidence for the UN?" While expressing his backing to international institution such as the UN, the spokesman said "the international body depended on accounts and it is not communicating with the legitimate government." Assiri also asked why "official figures collected by the legitimate government recognized by the international community are ignored." Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that the coalition was winding down its major combat operations in Yemen. The coalition will now work on "long-term" plans to bring stability to the country, Assiri said earlier. Since late March last year, the Arab coalition has bombed Iranian-backed Houthi militias and forces allied to deposed leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, in a bid to put the government of internationally recognized President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi back in power.
