HRW accuses Houthi militias of shelling Taiz with heavy weapons

SANA'A, 22nd October 2015 (WAM) - Houthi militias and allied forces loyal to the country’s former president Saleh have repeatedly fired mortar shells and artillery rockets indiscriminately into populated neighbourhoods in the southern Yemeni city of Taiz, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. "Pro-Houthi forces have been shelling Taiz without regard for the safety of its residents," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director. "The Houthis should stop firing heavy explosive weapons into populated areas of the city," he added. Human Rights Watch documented attacks on Taiz in August 2015 by Houthi forces supported by military forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh that killed at least 14 civilians, including 5 women and 5 children. In the second half of August, Houthi shelling and sniper attacks on civilian neighbourhoods in Taiz killed at least 42 civilians, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported. – Emirates News Agency, WAM -http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395287000772.html