US air strikes kill 74, injure 171 in Yemen

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Air strikes by the United States on Yemen’s Ras Isa oil port have killed at least 74 people in what is one of the deadliest attacks on the country by US forces, according to the Houthi rebels who are in control of the territory.

The group’s Health Ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi said on Apr 18 that the strikes carried out on Thursday also wounded 171 people. Rescue workers and paramedics were among the casualties.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the air strikes were intended to cut off the Houthis’ source of fuel and revenue.

“Today, US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists,” CENTCOM said on Apr 17 in a post on social media. “The objective of these strikes was to degrade the economic source of power of the Houthis,” it said.