A Statement Issued by the Joint Incidents Assessment Team regarding the Allegation that the Coalition Forces Targeted (Baqem Rural Hospital) in (Baqem) Directorate of (Sa’ada) Governorate on (01/10/2016)

Riyadh, A statement was issued by the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) regarding the allegation that the Coalition Forces targeted (Baqem Rural Hospital) in (Baqem) directorate of (Sa’ada) governorate on (01/10/2016).

With regard to what JIAT observed in the open sources of the report issued on (March 2020) by Physicians for Human Rights, which includes that on (01/10/2016) Coalition Forces aircraft targeted for the second time (Baqem Rural Hospital) in (Baqem) directorate of (Sa’ada) governorate, inflicting further damage on the facility.

JIAT vetted the incident, and reviewed all documents, including air tasking orders, daily mission schedule, mission execution procedures, after mission reports, satellite images, open sources, the website of the National Information Center in Yemen which contains the health centers and hospitals in Yemen, Coalition Forces No strike list (NSL), Coalition Forces rules of engagement, provisions and principles of International Humanitarian Law and its customary rules, a
nd after assessment of evidences, JIAT found that (Baqem Rural Hospital) is located in the north eastern part of (Baqem) city in (Baqem) directorate of (Sa’ada) governorate, and is in the Coalition Forces No Strike List (NSL).

JIAT specialists studied the satellite images of (Baqem Rural Hospital), before and after the claimed date, and found the following:

1. (Baqem Rural Hospital) consist of a main building and its annexes, surrounded by a fence.

2. Traces of damage on one of the annex buildings, JIAT is unable to determine the cause of it.

By studying the air missions carried out by the Coalition Forces on (01/10/2016), which is the date of the claim, JIAT found that the Coalition Forces did not carry out any air missions on (Baqem) city.

By studying the daily mission schedule carried out by the Coalition Forces one day prior and one day after the claimed date, JIAT found the following:

On (30/09/2016) the day prior to the claimed date, JIAT found that the Coalition Forces did not carry out any air m
issions on (Baqem) city.

On (02/10/2016) the day after the claimed date, JIAT found that the Coalition Forces did not carry out any air missions on (Baqem) city.

JIAT had previously announced the results of its investigations into the alleged targeting of (Baqem Rural Hospital) on (12/05/2015) at a previous conference, and concluded that the Coalition Forces did not target (Baqem Rural Hospital).

In light of that; JIAT found that Coalition Forces did not target (Baqem Rural Hospital) in (Baqem) directorate of (Sa’ada) governorate, on (01/10/2016), as claimed.

Source: Saudi Press Agency