Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Army Forces Advance in Yemen, Coalition Airstrikes Take out Senior Houthi Leader | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Boys who are part of the Houthi fighters hold weapons as they ride on the back of a patrol truck in Sanaa March 13, 2015. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi


Taiz- Clashes between pro-government forces and insurgency militias in Yemen’s northern province Saada intensified as Yemeni army forces , backed by Arab Coalition air power made significant advances retaking grounds and strategic locations, cutting the passageway linking Saada a to the insurgency-run Jawf province.

Insurgency militias are mainly composed of Iran-aligned Houthi coup militias seeking to overturn the rule of law in Yemen that have joined forces with armed loyalists supporting ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The insurgency has sparked a civil war which left Yemen descending to sheer chaos.

Two rounds of subsequent U.N.-backed peace talks failed to resolve the conflict, in which thousands of Yemenis are believed to have been killed to date and an estimated 2.5 million forced to flee their homes.

Military sources say that army forces successfully staged a retaliatory operation securing a sweeping advance in Saada, in which a Houthi senior leader, Mourad al Shabathi, had been neutralized by an Arab Coalition airstrike Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, army artillery continues pounding insurgency militia pits in Sirwah considered the most important economic and political center in prehistoric Yemen. The location is a logistic gain that insurgency groups hold on to fiercely.

As for Beihan, located in the Shabwa province, army forces took control of new sites formerly controlled by coup militias after fighting fierce and violent battles over the course of several days.

Military sources said that the units backed by popular resistance managed to free the mountain range overlooking the valley Beihan through which militias supply routes pass to As Safra District, a local armed forces media outlet reported.

Saudi-led Arab Coalition air forces launched a series of intense strikes on insurgency camps in multiple provinces, namely Shabwa, Taiz and Hodeidah, Marib.

In Taiz, army forces regained control of new western positions by ambushing insurgency local strongholds.

Coup militias on the other hand continue sniping down and bombarding civilians and in different parts of Taiz. A young Yemeni girl, Siham Mohammed, being the latest victim of insurgency cruelty. Many other civilian injuries have also been accounted for after insurgency militias attacked a crowd of children and parents exiting a school on the 30th St.(west of an air defense camp), local sources said.

Arab Coalition airstrikes also targeted militia positions west of Usaylan District resulting in the death and injury of dozens of the coup militants, the destruction of five crews and two rocket launchers.