Houthi rebels say 35 African migrants killed in US airstrike on Yemen prison; no comment from US

Yemen’s Houthi rebels allege a US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 35 people.

The US military has no immediate comment.

The strike in Yemen’s Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country’s decadelong war to cause the deaths of African migrants from Ethiopia and other nations who risk crossing the nation for a chance to work in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

It also likely will renew questions from activists about the American campaign, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” which has been targeting the rebels as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

The US military’s Central Command, in a statement before news of the alleged strike broke, sought to defend its policy of offering no specific details of its extensive airstrike campaign.