US Military Strikes Kill 61 Immigrants in Yemen, No Combatants Killed
In a devastating airstrike on an immigrant detention center in Yemen earlier this year, the US military killed 61 civilians and injured many more. According to Amnesty International, which conducted interviews with survivors of the attack, the strike constituted an indiscriminate attack under international humanitarian law, making it a war crime.
On April 28, 2025, the US military attacked a facility in Sa'ada, Yemen's northwest region, where over 100 Ethiopian immigrants were being held. The strike killed 61 people and injured another 56, according to Houthi records. Survivors told Amnesty that they had been living in the detention center for years and had seen no signs of any military activity.
The attack has sparked outrage and calls for an investigation into what happened. Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said that the US should investigate the strike as a war crime, citing "harsh testaments" from survivors who described seeing civilians being bombed without distinction.
Experts say that the attack is not an isolated incident but rather part of a broader pattern of civilian harm caused by US military actions in Yemen. Wes Bryant, a former Pentagon official, said that the number of strikes during Operation Rough Rider exceeded the capacity for U.S. forces to conduct adequate target vetting and collateral damage analysis.
The Trump administration's approach to targeting and civilian harm mitigation has been criticized as a gross devolution from US best practices. Amnesty International called on the Pentagon to provide reparations to victims or their families.
US officials have defended the strike, claiming that they are following international humanitarian law. However, critics argue that the lack of transparency and accountability is alarming and that it is telling of what may be to come.
The attack is a symptom of a larger problem: the US government's escalating militarization and disregard for civilian life in countries like Yemen. As Donald Trump's administration continues to take steps towards authoritarianism, the need for press freedom and critical journalism has never been more important.
In a devastating airstrike on an immigrant detention center in Yemen earlier this year, the US military killed 61 civilians and injured many more. According to Amnesty International, which conducted interviews with survivors of the attack, the strike constituted an indiscriminate attack under international humanitarian law, making it a war crime.
On April 28, 2025, the US military attacked a facility in Sa'ada, Yemen's northwest region, where over 100 Ethiopian immigrants were being held. The strike killed 61 people and injured another 56, according to Houthi records. Survivors told Amnesty that they had been living in the detention center for years and had seen no signs of any military activity.
The attack has sparked outrage and calls for an investigation into what happened. Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said that the US should investigate the strike as a war crime, citing "harsh testaments" from survivors who described seeing civilians being bombed without distinction.
Experts say that the attack is not an isolated incident but rather part of a broader pattern of civilian harm caused by US military actions in Yemen. Wes Bryant, a former Pentagon official, said that the number of strikes during Operation Rough Rider exceeded the capacity for U.S. forces to conduct adequate target vetting and collateral damage analysis.
The Trump administration's approach to targeting and civilian harm mitigation has been criticized as a gross devolution from US best practices. Amnesty International called on the Pentagon to provide reparations to victims or their families.
US officials have defended the strike, claiming that they are following international humanitarian law. However, critics argue that the lack of transparency and accountability is alarming and that it is telling of what may be to come.
The attack is a symptom of a larger problem: the US government's escalating militarization and disregard for civilian life in countries like Yemen. As Donald Trump's administration continues to take steps towards authoritarianism, the need for press freedom and critical journalism has never been more important.
This airstrike is just devastating - 61 people killed, including many innocent immigrants trying to start a new life 
. It's crazy that these civilians were living in a detention center without any signs of military activity 
. The fact that survivors are saying they saw no distinction between combatants and non-combatants is just heartbreaking 
. 
. The lack of transparency and accountability from the Pentagon is just mind-boggling 
. I mean, how can we expect international humanitarian law to be followed when there's no check on who's making these decisions? 
. We need to hold our governments accountable for their actions and make sure that they're prioritizing civilian life over military interests 
.
This airstrike is just shocking it kills 61 people and nobody even knows if they were combatants or not. It sounds like a war crime to me 
The fact that survivors said there was no signs of military activity makes it even crazier. We need more answers from the US government on what happened and how they're going to make sure something like this never happens again 
I'm also worried about the pattern of civilian harm in Yemen, it's not just this one incident. We should be calling out the Trump administration for their approach to targeting and harm mitigation 
i mean i know the trump admin is always trying to cover up things but this is just straight up horrific 
It seems like more like a case of "we're just gonna bomb it and hope for the best". This whole thing smells fishy, and I'm not buying that it was an isolated incident 
.
I remember when i was younger, my aunt was detained at JFK airport for a week because she didn't have the right papers 
. and what about the families of these 61 ppl who lost their loved ones? do they get any help or reparations? it's so unfair 
. we need to keep asking questions and demanding answers from our leaders, even if it means making them uncomfortable 
. otherwise, we'll just keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again 
.
. I mean, where's the oversight? Where's the investigation into what went wrong?
. We need to hold our leaders accountable for their actions and demand better from them 
. This is just another example of how far off track we've become in this country... 
the US military needs to do more to vet their targets and make sure they're not hurting innocent people by mistake 
we need to hold our leaders accountable for these actions and make sure they follow the rules of war 
... I mean, what were they thinking? Killing 61 people and injuring many more just because they were immigrants seeking a better life? It's like they thought the international humanitarian law didn't apply to them 
.
I feel bad for the survivors who went through this trauma. 
It's hard to imagine how they could target such a specific location without causing harm to civilians. 
the US military needs to be held accountable for this 
they're saying it was following international humanitarian law but that's just not good enough 
It's suspicious, right? And what about all those "harsh testimonies" from survivors? Are we really supposed to trust the words of people who've been traumatized by this attack? 
), but something just doesn't add up here. And have you seen all those strikes during Operation Rough Rider? It's like the US military is just making it easy for itself to target civilians. 
