Sanaa , Yemen ( CNN ) -- Dozens of civilians may have been killed by Yemeni forces since May while fighting an armed Islamist group in Abyan province , the activist group Human Rights Watch said in a report released Saturday . But a spokesman for Yemen 's ruling party disputed the findings . `` As Yemeni government forces battle armed militants in Abyan , civilians are paying the price , '' Joe Stork , deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch , said in the report . `` Both sides need to be doing much more to protect civilians from harm , and the government should be investigating possible laws-of-war violations by its forces in Abyan . '' Human Rights Watch said it did not visit Abyan province because of security concerns but received accounts of attacks from 30 witnesses who fled the clashes . The group cited several reported incidents , including what some described as indiscriminate attacks on civilians with `` artillery shrapnel or small arms with no visible fighting or military targets nearby . '' But the ruling party in Yemen refuted the report . `` The Yemeni government insists that the Human Rights Watch report is 100 ( % ) inaccurate , '' said Tareq Shami , spokesman for the ruling General People 's Congress party . `` Only al Qaeda targets are killed by the government , and there is no proof of the government being involved in the killing of civilians in Abyan . '' He added , `` Foreign fighters are also involved killing and attacking civilians in Abyan , not the government . We are defending the people and will continue doing so . '' Abdu Ganadi , spokesman for the Yemeni government , said `` all wars have casualties . '' `` Yemen is trying to limit the civilian deaths , '' Ganadi said . `` Our condolence ( s ) to the families who lost a loved one . '' Yemen has been consumed by unrest for months as protesters have demanded an end to the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh 's rule . Saleh and other senior officials were wounded June 3 in an attack on the mosque at the presidential palace . Saleh is being treated in Saudi Arabia . Officials have said he will return when he has recovered . In recent weeks , government troops have battled both tribal forces and Islamic militants , including al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . CNN 's Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report .
Human Rights Watch says Yemeni forces may have killed dozens of civilians . It says witnesses report indiscriminate attacks with no visible fighting nearby . A spokesman for the ruling party calls the report 100 % inaccurate . Comment: