Bomb that killed children in Yemen was supplied by US
Washington, Aug 19 : A bomb used by the Saudi-led coalition in a devastating attack on a school bus in Yemen was sold as part of a US State Department-sanctioned arms deal with Saudi Arabia, munitions experts told CNN.
Working with local Yemeni journalists and munitions experts, CNN has established that the weapon that left dozens of children dead on August 9 was a 227 kg laser-guided MK 82 bomb made by Lockheed Martin, one of the top US defence contractors.
The bomb was very similar to the one that wreaked devastation in an attack on a funeral hall in Yemen in October 2016 in which 155 people were killed and hundreds more wounded.
Doctor treats children injured by air strike in Saada, Yemen on 9 August (Reuters)
The Saudi coalition blamed "incorrect information" for that strike, admitted it was a mistake and took responsibility.
In the aftermath of the funeral hall attack, former US President Barack Obama banned the sale of precision-guided military technology to Saudi Arabia over "human rights concerns".
The ban was overturned by the Trump administration's then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in March 2017. The August 9 bomb's impact as it landed on the bus full of excited schoolchildren on a day trip was devastating.
Of the 51 people who died in the airstrike, 40 were children. The UN has called for a separate investigation into the strike, one of the deadliest since Yemen's war began in early 2015.
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Mehbooba seeks release of people arrested for 'peaceful' protests against Khamenei's killing
Srinagar (PTI): Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday urged the Jammu and Kashmir Police to release those arrested for staging protests in the Valley against the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israel strike on February 28.
“Scores of protesters, including women, have been arrested across Kashmir for peacefully participating in rallies in the wake of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's martyrdom.
“Authorities had assured their families that they would be released soon. But, unfortunately, this hasn't been the case. Urge Jammu and Kashmir Police to consider their release at the earliest,” Mufti said in a post on X.
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Kashmir, which is home to about 15 lakh Shias, saw major protests at the Lal Chowk and Saida Kadal in Srinagar, Budgam, Bandipora, Anantnag and Pulwama after the news of Khamenei's killing spread, forcing the authorities to impose restrictions, which were lifted on Saturday morning.
While the protests were largely peaceful, minor clashes broke out at a few places between the security forces and the protesters, prompting the former to use force to maintain law and order.
The US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israeli and American military bases in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
In the last few days, the conflict has widened significantly with attacks and counter-attacks by both sides.
