The Joint Incident Assessment Team in Yemen (JIAT) said it concluded probes into recently submitted allegations and announced results based on detailed field visits and investigations superintended by professional panelists.
JIAT spokesman Mansour Al-Mansour said that the team concluded that the procedures followed by the coalition forces were proper and safe, taking into consideration rules of engagement, international humanitarian law and the Arab Coalition code.
According to Al-Mansour, JIAT team members visited a number of cities in Yemen, including Aden, Lahj and Khor Maksar and have documented encounters with witnesses, victims and their families, gathering evidence and establishing facts.
Al-Mansur revealed that more probes are planned and will be visiting several other sites in Yemen.
In one of the incidents investigated, an Arab Coalition warship fired on and destroyed a vessel in the waters off the Yemeni port of Al-Khokha in September.
On that matter, Al-Mansour said that after examining documents and evidence, the JIAT concluded that the ship was escorting and protecting a flotilla consisted of three Saudi merchant ships sailing in an area off the port of Al-Khokha.
The targeted unidentified boat was spotted approaching the three ships at a high speed.
The Arab Coalition warship followed protocol, first warning the unidentified vessel, using loudspeakers, not to come any closer. When verbal warnings were unheeded, warning shots were fired but the boat continued to approach.
“Upon reaching an area that represented a threat to the convoy, the protection ship tackled the boat according to the rules of engagement and targeted it, resulting in an explosion on the boat,” said Al-Mansour.
“The protection ship continued escorting the convoy. After the escort task was completed, the protection ship returned to the site of the targeted boat to carry out a search-and-rescue operation for the crew of the target boat but no one was found.”