Bombing Taiz Governorate Police Administration

Incident Summary

• Incident: Bombing Taiz Governorate Police Administration
• Type: Drone-borne mortars
• Location: Al-Ardhi District, Salh District, Taiz Governorate.
• Date: 4 May 2022
• Time: 08:55 - 09:57 AM
• Victims: 8 wounded: 6 civilians, 2 policemen
• Physical damage: 3 vehicles burnt, 3 others damaged
• Probable munitions: 60mm M38 . mortar
• Probable responsibility: The Houthis

Introduction

On 4 May morning, 2022, a Houthi drone bombed the building of Taiz Governorate Police Administration with mortar shells, resulting in injuries to civilians and police forces, more than a month after the UN truce took effect in Yemen.

About the area

Al-Ardi neighborhood is located in Salh District in Taiz Governorate, in the eastern part of the area under the control of government forces in Taiz city, only one kilometer from the clashes area.

Al-Ardi neighborhood includes the Al-Amal Cancer Center, a playground, the College of Arts and two football fields, in addition to Taiz Governorate Police Administration. These facilities are located within a circle with a radius of 220 meters in the neighborhood that was bombed several times including Al-Ahli Club stadium, which Yemeni Archive investigated last year.

A satellite image from Google Maps of Al-Ardhi area, Salh District, Taiz Governorate.

The incident

On 4 May morning 2022, the third day of Eid al-Fitr festival, while the UN truce was in effect, social media and news websites circulated news of projectiles that had fallen on Al-Aridi neighborhood in Taiz city, which hit Taiz Police Administration building near a playground, injuring several civilians and police officers.

A screenshot of Belqees TV tweet

A screenshot of Ahmed Basha’s Facebook post

Location

Visual content from the site of the bombing and the surrounding area was published by Belqees TV, and Ahmed Al-Sabahi Facebook, as well Taiz News Network Facebook. The exact location of the bombing can be determined at coordinates: 13.574571, 44.023982 in the courtyard of Governorate Police Administration Taiz and at the coordinates: 13.574272, 44.023752 near the Administration gate.

A satellite image from Google Earth and image from Taiz News Network Facebook

A satellite image from Google Earth, and screenshots from Belqees TV and Ahmed al-Salihi Facebook

Time

The first report of the incident was Mohammed Al-Hudhaifi tweet at 09:57 am, and Taiz News Network who published a photo of smoke rising as a result of the bombing. In the photo, the shadow of a motorbike analyzed by SunCalc shows the time as 08:55 am approximately, what suggests that the bombing was in a time range between 08:55 - 09:57 am.

A screenshot of Mohammed Al-Hudhaifi tweet

A photo from Taiz News Network Facebook

A screenshot from SunCalc shadow analysis tool

Probable munitions

Local sources mentioned that the bombing was conducted by a drone. Yemeni Archive obtained a photo of the remnants of the projectile that fell on Taiz Police Administration, which is the tail of a 60mm mortar shell that matches the Chinese-made 60mm M38, and dropped from YD6-1000S RTF drones, which the Houthis call Rajoum.

A photo obtained by Yemeni Archive and a photo from cat-uxo website, of a Chinese-made 60mm mortar

A photo obtained by Yemeni Archive, an image from cat-uxo website of a Chinese-made 60mm mortar shell, and a screenshot from the Houthi war media video showing the Rajoum drone

A screenshot from the Houthis’ war media video showing the Rajoum drone

Image from Yangda Online Market of YD6-1000S RTF drone

Probable responsibility

The Houthis used this type of drones to launch similar attacks. Ten days before the attack on the Police Administration, the army forces in Taiz shot down drone with the same type that dropped bombs on their positions northwest of Taiz.

A screenshot of Ahmed Basha Facebook post

Physical damage

Photos published by the Security Media Center in Taiz show that two four-wheel drive vehicles of Taiz police burned, a transport vehicle, and three civilian vehicles damaged by shrapnel.

Photos from the Security Media Center – Taiz G Police Facebook

Victims

Several official entities in Taiz, along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published different numbers of the victims:

Security Media: 8 wounded: 6 civilians, 2 police officers Human Rights Office in Taiz: 8 wounded: 6 civilians, 2 police officers Taiz Information Office: 8 wounded: 6 civilians, 2 police officers Army spokesman: more than 10 wounded officers and civilians Ministry of Foreign Affairs: more than 10 injured

Conclusion

Yemeni Archive concluded that on 4 May morning 2022, the Houthis bombed Taiz Governorate Police building with 60mm mortar shells mounted on Rajoum drones, which resulted in 8 injures, including 6 civilians 2 police officers, while UN truce in Yemen is in effect.