Children brave snipers and mortars to go to school near Yemen front line

Image source, Liam Weir / BBCImage caption, Rafeef says the journey to school terrifies her, but she is determined to keep goingByNawal Al-MaghafiReporting fromTaiz, YemenEvery morning at 6am, 10-year-old Rafeef and her younger brother get ready for school, putting on their cream and brown uniforms.She always looks forward to seeing her friends and learning about everything from maths to Arabic and Islamic studies. She can't wait to start studying English next year.But for Rafeef, the journey to school involves far greater risks than crossing roads or missing the bus.Her school in Taiz, south-western Yemen, stands on a mountain at the edge of a valley known as no-man's land - a heavily contested front line in the civil war between forces supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, and the Iran-backed Houthis.On one side of the school is government-held territory, on the other are Houthi sniper positions.Rafeef's home is further down the mountain.Every time she goes to school, she has to walk uphill with her back towards the snipers. "I'm afraid," she says.Image source, Liam Weir / BBCImage caption, Rafeef's school is overlooked by Hout...