RELIGION

UN says 10,000 civilians killed, wounded in Yemen conflict

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Fighters loyal to the government gather at the site of a suicide car bombing in Yemen’s southern city of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. The bombing claimed by the Islamic State group in Aden has killed over 50 pro-government troops who had been preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia to fight Houthi rebels in Yemen’s north. Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite Houthi rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and an IS affiliate to expand their reach, particularly in the south. (AP Photo/Wael Qubady) (The Associated Press)

Fighters loyal to the government gather at the site of a suicide car bombing in Yemen’s southern city of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. The bombing claimed by the Islamic State group in Aden has killed over 50 pro-government troops who had been preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia to fight Houthi rebels in Yemen’s north. Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite Houthi rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and an IS affiliate to expand their reach, particularly in the south. (AP Photo/Wael Qubady) (The Associated Press)

People gather at the site of a suicide car bombing in Yemen’s southern city of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Aug. 29, 2016. The bombing claimed by the Islamic State group in Aden has killed over 50 pro-government troops who had been preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia to fight Houthi rebels in Yemen’s north. Yemen is embroiled in a civil war pitting the internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite Houthi rebels, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president. The fighting has allowed al-Qaida and an IS affiliate to expand their reach, particularly in the south. (AP Photo/Wael Qubady) (The Associated Press)

The U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator says a "minimum" of 10,000 people have been killed and wounded in Yemen's conflict.

Jamie McGoldrick provided the updated toll to reporters in the capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday. When asked by The Associated Press if he was referring to civilians, he said, "I never address combatants."

Yemen's conflict pits an internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against Shiite Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was forced from power in 2012 following an Arab Spring uprising. Local affiliates of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have exploited the chaos to expand their reach.

A day earlier, McGoldrick called for the reopening of the airport and the resumption of commercial flights into Sanaa, which fell to the Houthis in September 2014.