The Official Spokesman for the Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) in Yemen, Legal Adviser Mansour Al-Mansour refuted a number of allegations made by UN agencies, international organizations and media outlets, alleging mistakes made by the coalition forces to support legitimacy, in Yemen, during its military operations inside Yemen.
Al-Mansour reviewed, during a press conference held by theArmed Forces Officers Club here today, the results of the evaluation of fourincidents included in those allegations
With regard to the statement of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Human Rights issued on (12/02/2018), which includes that on(04/02/2018) three air strikes hit a building (Ministry of Interior) in(Thahban) neighborhood in (Bani Al-Harith) directorate of the capital (Sana'a),eight civilians including a woman and a child were killed and (32) others wereinjured, the statement also stated that UN human rights monitors who visitedthe scene, said there did not appear to be any military objects near thebuilding, which had previously been hit in (06/01/2016).
The JIAT vetted the incident, and reviewed all documents,including procedures and rules of engagement, daily mission schedule, aftermission report, video recordings of the mission, satellite images, provisionsand principles of International Humanitarian Law and its customary rules, andassessment of evidences, JIAT found that Coalition Forces received intelligenceinformation indicating that Al-Houthi armed militia seized the (GeneralDepartment of Criminal Evidence), and used it as a weapons depot to support itsmilitary operations, which is considered to be a legitimate military targetthat its destruction would achieve a military advantage based on Article (52)paragraph (2) of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions.
Periodic intelligence reports shows the establishment of anarmed checkpoint belonging to Al-Houthi armed militia on the road opposite the(General Department of Criminal Evidence) to prevent civilians from approachingand entering the building, and with the availability of verification degreeswhere Coalition forces intensified surveillance activities, which confirmedmilitary activities at the site in the morning of the targeting, consisting ofarmed vehicles and a gathering of combatants around them, it was confirmed thatthere were no movements of civilians around the building, based on thecustomary rule (16) of customary International Humanitarian Law, the legalprotection of the civilian objects the (General Department of CriminalEvidence) was lost for the seizure of it by Al-Houthi armed militia, and theuse of it to support the war effort, in accordance with Article (52), paragraph(3) of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions.
At (10:10) am on Sunday (04/02/2018), Coalition Forcesconducted an aerial mission on a weapons depot in the (General Department ofCriminal Evidence) building, using two guided bombs that hit their targets.
by studying the video of the targeting, it was clear thatthe two bombs hit their targets, and thus achieved the desired militaryadvantage.
The claim included that the building in question wastargeted earlier (6/1/2016), JIAT reviewed the daily mission schedule on(6/1/2016), and found that the Coalition Forces did not perform any airmissions on (building) of the claim.
In light of that, JIAT found that the procedures taken byCoalition Forces in dealing with the legitimate military target, weapons depotin the (General Department of Criminal Evidence) building, in in the Capital(Sana'a) were correct and in accordance with the International Humanitarian Lawand its customary rules, and that the Coalition Forces did not target the samebuilding on (6/1/2016).
