Houthi missile strike kills 53 recruits at Yemeni security camp
Ballistic missiles fired by Houthi militia killed 53 recruits at a Yemeni training camp, prompting condemnation from Yemeni officials.
Key facts
- Houthi militia launched ballistic missiles at a Yemeni security training camp near Ataq on 19 Oct 2026.
- Local authorities report 53 recruits killed and over 200 wounded.
- Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al‑Alimi called the strike a "criminal attack".
- Information Minister Moammar al‑Eryani said the attack was a war crime because the target was not a military facility.
- The New York Times described the strike as one of the deadliest attacks in the renewed war.
On 19 October 2026, Houthi militia launched three ballistic missiles at a training centre for Yemen's internal security forces near Ataq in Shabwa province. Local authorities report that 53 recruits were killed and more than 200 were wounded.
Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council head Rashad al‑Alimi condemned the strike as a "criminal attack" and promised a firm response, according to the BBC. The Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the missiles targeted a gathering of "Saudi enemy" forces at the camp, according to the same source.
Shabwa's deputy governor Fahad al‑Khalifi told AFP that hospitals were overwhelmed and that the most seriously wounded were being transferred to neighbouring Hadramout and Aden. Information Minister Moammar al‑Eryani said the attack constituted a war crime because the training centre was not a military target, according to the BBC.
The strike comes amid a renewed phase of Yemen's civil war, in which pro‑government forces launched a major offensive at the start of October to retake territory in western Yemen. With air support from a Saudi‑led coalition, they regained control of areas on the Red Sea coast, but fighting continues in Taiz, Marib and al‑Jawf, according to the BBC.
Context
Yemen's civil war has intensified in recent months. At the start of October, pro‑government forces launched a major offensive to retake territory in western Yemen with air support from a Saudi‑led coalition. Fighting continues in Taiz, Marib and al‑Jawf.
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