Random Houthi shelling kills 9 in Yemen's Hodeidah 

Source: Xinhua| 2019-09-14 01:47:37|Editor: yan
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ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Fighters of the Houthi rebel group launched a random artillery shelling against residential areas in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Friday, leaving 9 civilians killed, a government official told Xinhua.

"The Houthis indiscriminately fired their artillery shells against the residential areas in Tuhyata district, leaving nine civilians killed at the scene," the local official said on condition of anonymity.

The Houthi-fired shells left around 10 other citizens injured including women and children in the residential neighborhoods of Tuhyata, said the official.

He added that "all the victims including the injured were transferred via ambulances to a government-controlled hospital elsewhere in Hodeidah."

Residents confirmed to Xinhua saying that "Houthis intensified their shelling against the military sites of the government in Hodeidah."

They said that some of the shells missed their target and landed on residential areas, causing casualties among innocent people.

The shelling incident occurred several hours after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday announced the appointment of Abhijit Guha, a retired Indian lieutenant general as the head of the UN mission in Hodeidah.

Besides leading the UN Mission in support of the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), Guha will be also assume chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), tasked with redeploying forces of the Yemeni warring parties in accordance with their agreement.

Guha succeeds Danish Lieutenant General Michael Lollesgaard, who served in those posts from Jan. 31 to July 31, 2019.

Hodeidah is the main Yemeni port city on the Red Sea and key entry of most Yemen's commercial imports and humanitarian aid.

The grinding war has lasted more than four years, pushing more than 20 million people to the verge of starvation. Iran-allied Houthi rebels control much of Hodeidah while the Saudi-backed government troops have advanced to the southeastern districts.

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