Yemen hospital pleas for conjoined twins to leave

SANAA - A Yemeni hospital issued a plea Wednesday for newly born conjoined twins to be allowed to leave the blockaded country for treatment and an operation to be separated.

The boys who were born near the Yemeni capital Sanaa around 10 days ago have separate hearts and lungs, but share a kidney and a pair of legs.

"I hope that they can be transported abroad as soon as possible," said doctor Faisal al-Babili, head of the pediatrics department at Al-Thawra hospital in Sanaa.

Babili said his medical team did not have the right equipment to treat or separate the twins who are conjoined at the hip.

Yemen's health system has collapsed as a result of the war between the government and the Huthi rebels.

The Iran-aligned Huthis have been locked in a war with government forces backed since 2015 by a Saudi-led coalition.

The conflict has triggered what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions of people at risk of starvation.

Some 10,000 people -- mostly civilians -- have been killed since 2015 and more than 60,000 wounded, according to the World Health Organization, although rights groups say the death toll could be five times higher.

While the Huthis control the capital, Saudi Arabia and its allies control Yemen's airspace and have put Sanaa's international airport under blockade.