Dubai: Al Houthi militants are recruiting children from orphanages and shelters in Yemen, warned the Minister of Human Rights in Yemen.
Izz Al Deen Al Asbahi, Minister of Human Rights in Yemen, said Al Houthis and forces royal to ousted former president of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh, are targeting and militarily equipping orphaned children living in shelters and orphanages.
Al Asbahi revealed during a seminar organised by the internationally-recognised Yemeni government in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss the Al Houthi attacks that the militants are also using schools and hospitals to store weapons.
Since Al Houthis overthrew the government on September 21, 2014, a total of 3,074 civilians have been killed, including 400 children and 381 women, said the minister according to the website 24.ae.
He also said 7,347 were injured by the rebels, out of which 719 were children and 514 were women. Additional crimes committed by Al Houthis ranged from kidnapping, torturing and arresting, to name a few.
Al Asbahi also revealed that Al Houthis and Saleh’s loyalists are using civilians, whom they have arrested as human shields by placing them in areas, which are heavily targeted militarily.
Al Asbahi said according to families and witnesses, Al Houthis and Saleh’s forces are stationed at the top of Al Harran Mountain in the Dhamar province of Yemen.
They are also storing all their weapons at the Al Harran garden management’s headquarters, which they are also using as an illegal jail.
Meanwhile, Yemeni security sources revealed on Thursday that forces royal to the government captured dozens of Al Houthis in Taiz, while the popular resistance forces killed 11 Al Houthi militants during an ambush in Al Daleh.
According to Yemen Now (in Arabic) website, the Saudi-led Arab Coalition forces bombed Al Houthi military vehicles in Taiz.
It was also reported that seven Al Houthis were killed and 13 were injured in clashes with forces loyal to the legitimate army in Taiz.
In the province of Shabwah, 15 members of Al Houthi militia were killed in clashes with the popular resistance army.
