U.S.-backed Saudi coalition promises probe into its airstrike on a bus full of children

The U.S.-enabled Saudi coalition intervening in Yemen's civil war on Friday promised to investigate the airstrike it launched Thursday that hit a school bus full of children. At least 43 people were killed, including 29 children, and dozens more were injured in the attack.

"The leadership of the coalition has ordered the immediate opening of an investigation to assess the events, clarify their circumstances, and announce the results as soon as possible," said a coalition official.

This is not the first time the coalition has investigated itself. In a similar probe last year — surprise, surprise — the Saudi-led group cleared itself of wrongdoing. By contrast, human rights organizations and a broad array of observers have credibly accused the U.S.-supported coalition of war crimes for its callous exacerbation of the rampant suffering of the Yemeni civilian population.

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Parents of the children on the bus are still searching through the rubble in hopes of finding their family alive. "Is this Yousif? Is this Yousif? Oh my God!" screamed one father at the scene of the attack. "What is the fault of these small children?"

Read more on the U.S. role in Yemen's crisis here at The Week.