US drone attack in Yemen kills 30

The death toll from a US drone strike in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan has reached 30, tribal sources say.

The deadly attack was carried out on Sunday in the town of al-Mahfad.

An earlier toll said that five people lost their lives in the assault which also injured many others.

The airstrike was also confirmed by Tribal leaders who said it has killed suspected al-Qaeda militants.

A similar attack on Saturday left around 20 people dead in the province of Baida.

The United States is the only country that operates drones in Yemen. It has come under harsh criticism from rights groups over the move.

Over the past years, Washington has regularly used the unmanned aerial vehicles for attacks and spying in several Muslim countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.

The US administration claims that the unmanned US aircraft attacks target al-Qaeda militants, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the non-UN-sanctioned airstrikes.

On December 15, 2013, the Yemeni parliament strongly condemned the US drone strikes inside the country. The legislature also passed a law banning the attacks.

Last October, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said US killer drone strikes in Yemen have led to the death of many civilians over the past years in a blatant violation of international law.

In a 28-page report released on February 19, the HRW called on Washington to investigate a fatal drone strike on a wedding ceremony in Yemen in December.

According to the report, dubbed “A Wedding That Became a Funeral: US Drone Attack on Marriage Procession in Yemen,” the December 12, 2013 attack killed a dozen men and wounded at least 15 others, including the bride.