Hundreds of civilians were reported killed or wounded as a result of\nUS air strikes in Yemen last year. However, the Pentagon has yet to\npublicly acknowledge the casualty figures or provide a complete report\nto Congress, according to documents reviewed by NBC News and accounts\nfrom individuals familiar with the strikes.<\/p>\n
The three deadly strikes, which occurred in April 2025, were part of\nOperation Rough Rider, a 53-day military campaign launched by President\nDonald Trump less than two months into his second term. The operation\naimed to stop Iran-backed Houthi rebels from threatening shipping and\nregional allies.<\/p>\n
Although human rights groups reported the likelihood of large-scale\ncivilian casualties, the Pentagon previously assessed that there were no\ncivilian deaths from the US air war against Houthi forces in Yemen. To\ndate, the Pentagon has not responded to requests for comment on the\nlatest findings.<\/p>\n
Documents reviewed show correspondence between the Pentagon and\nlawmakers seeking details of the strikes. In a letter to Senator\nElizabeth Warren in March, Derrick Anderson, the Pentagon\u2019s assistant\nsecretary for special operations, stated that US Central Command\n(Centcom) had reviewed dozens of strikes.<\/p>\n
Anderson wrote that 15 incidents remained under active review and\nthat three April 2025 strikes required further investigation. The\nassessment concluded that the US strikes were \u2018more likely than not\u2019 to\nhave resulted in civilian casualties.<\/p>\n
Two sources familiar with the strikes said around 150 civilians were\nlikely killed in the first two strikes, with around 200 others wounded.\nThe group AirWars reported specifically that 84 civilians were killed\nand 150 wounded in the strike on the port of Ras Isa alone.<\/p>\n
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2027 now requires\nthe Pentagon to release unredacted civilian harm investigations and\nsupporting documents for the three strikes in Yemen. If it fails to\ncomply, Congress has the authority to withhold certain funds, including\ntravel expenses for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.<\/p>\n
Beyond the Yemen case, the legislation also demands transparency over\nthe US strike on a school in Minab, Iran, in February, which killed more\nthan 170 people, the majority of them children. Centcom\u2019s investigation\ninto the Minab incident is reported to be nearly complete.<\/p>\n
Under Trump\u2019s leadership, the US is considered more secretive about\nmilitary operations than previous administrations. Amanda Klasing,\nNational Director of Amnesty International USA, condemned the handling\nof the air strikes as appalling.<\/p>\n
\u2018This administration has gutted Pentagon programmes intended to\nprevent civilian harm and has avoided public accountability for cases of\ncivilian casualties,\u2019 Klasing said. An Inspector General investigation\nindeed found that under Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, funding and\nstaffing for civilian harm mitigation efforts were significantly\nreduced.<\/p>\n
Although the war with the Houthis eventually reached a ceasefire\nagreement\u2014with the Houthis pledging to stop targeting US ships and the\nUS pledging to halt air strikes\u2014the unaccounted civilian toll remains a\ncrucial issue demanding accountability from Washington. (NBC\/I-2)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pentagon-conceals-civilian-casualty-data-from-us-airstrikes-in-yemen-1785995491", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }