Yemeni supporters of the southern separatist movement fire towards Houthi rebels (unseen) during clashes in the northern Dar Saad neighbourhood of the southern Yemeni city of Aden on April 8, 2015. (AFP Photo/Saleh Al-Obeidi)
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s Houthi rebels were responsible for committing “massacres” in the southern port city of Aden on Wednesday after pushing into the center of the town, local residents told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“Forces loyal to the Houthis and ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh indiscriminately shelled civilian homes in the Ma’alla and Crater districts, resulting in more than 22 people being killed and 70 more being injured,” a local source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Local residents said that Houthi fighters had “indiscriminately” fired rocket-propelled-grenades in residential areas, resulting in dozens of deaths. The Shi’ite rebel group, which is allied with former president Saleh, has made gains in Aden over the past few days. Aden had been the capital of legitimate president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi after the Houthis took over control of the capital Sana’a.
While the Saudi-led coalition has failed to stop the Houthi fighters from entering the strategic southern port, the coalition confirmed that it had cut supply lines and destroyed weapon depots elsewhere in southern Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition forces had been in the process of carrying out “relief operations” in Aden to assist the Yemeni people, in coordination with the Red Cross after a Red Cross aid ship arrived in the southern port on Wednesday.
“In light of the turbulent conditions in a number of districts around the port of Aden due to acts of sabotage carried out by Houthi militias and their supporters. . . we have coordinated with the People’s Committees in Aden in order to facilitate the delivery of aid,” Brig. Gen. Ahmed Bin Hasan Asiri said.
Asiri, who is a consultant to the Saudi Minister of Defense and official spokesman of the Coalition Forces, added: “We are keen to ensure the coordination and safety of the crews. We are worked that this ship doesn’t fall into the hands of the Houthi militias,” in comments carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
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