A statement issued by the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) regarding the allegation that Coalition Forces targeted (Ketaf Rural Hospital) in (Ketaf and Al-Baqa) directorate of (Sa'da)

With regard to what was observed by (JIAT) in the open sources about the report issued by (Doctors for Human Rights) dated (March 2020), which included that on (18/01/2016) Coalition Forces aircraft attacked (Ketaf Rural Hospital) in (Ketaf and Al-Baqa) directorate of (Sa'da) governorate, the attack led to a temporary suspension of services, the hospital was then rehabilitated by (UNICEF).

JIAT vetted the incident, and reviewed all documents, including air tasking orders, daily mission schedule, mission execution procedures, after mission reports, video recordings of the executed mission, satellite images, open sources, coordinates provided by the representative of the legitimate Yemeni government in JIAT for the health centers and hospitals contained in the report, 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, and after assessment of evidences, JIAT found that (Ketaf Rural Hospital) is located in the city of (Ketaf) in the eastern part of (Sa'da) governorate, and is in the Coalition Forces No Strike List (NSL).

By studying the air missions carried out by the Coalition Forces on (18/01/2016), which is the date of the claim, JIAT found that the Coalition Forces did not carry out any air missions in (Ketaf) city, and that the closest military target the Coalition Forces dealt with was (42.5) kms away from (Ketaf Rural Hospital) of the claim.

By studying the air missions carried out by the Coalition Forces one day before and one day after the date of the claim, JIAT found the following:

1. On Sunday (17/01/2016) the day before the claimed date, Coalition Forces did not carry out any air missions in (Ketaf) city, and that the closest military target the Coalition Forces dealt with was (23.5) kms away from (Ketaf Rural Hospital) of the claim.

2. On Tuesday (19/01/2016) the day after the claimed date, Coalition Forces did not carry out any air missions in (Ketaf) city, and that the closest military target the Coalition Forces dealt with was (31) kms away from (Ketaf Rural Hospital) of the claim.

JIAT specialists studied the satellite images of the claimed site (Ketaf Rural Hospital), after the date of the claim, the following was found:

1. (Ketaf Rural Hospital) of the claim consists of a building and its annexes, surrounded by a fence.

2. There are no signs of destruction or damages caused by aerial targeting on (Ketaf Rural Hospital) building.

By Comparing the allegation with the air mission carried out on the day of the claim, JIAT found the following: 

1. The site of (Ketaf Rural Hospital) does not correspond to the site of the military target, as the claimed site is in (Ketaf and Al-Baqa) directorate, while the military target is in (Sahar) directorate, (42.5) km away from each other.

2. The claim indicated that the hospital was targeted by the Coalition aircraft, while satellite images after the date of the claim showed no signs of aerial targeting on the hospital building.

In light of that, JIAT found that Coalition Forces did not target (Ketaf Rural Hospital) in (Ketaf and Al-Baqa) directorate of (Sa'da) governorate, on (18/01/2016) as claimed.

•This translation is a free service, bearing in mind that the original Arabic text is the official text.