Taiz – Clashes intensified in Maerib and al-Jawf fronts as the Yemeni National Army continues to advance backed by the air force of the coalition forces amid besiege enforced by the insurgents in Serwah, their last stronghold in the region.
Yemeni army retrieved new sites on different fronts of Jawf as troops have achieved a major advance in the area, a field official told Asharq Al-Awsat.
These developments occurred as Arab League (AL) Chief Ahmad Abul Gheit warned that about seven million civilians could face an internationally unprecedented famine.
Yemeni military sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the national army troops thwarted an insurgency attack on its sites and succeeded in destroying many of their equipment and kill several fighters. The army also captured one of the insurgents during the clashes in Masloub district.
Mazweya front also witnessed intensified fights between the national army and insurgency militias.
In Taiz, clashes were centered in Dabab and Maafer fronts, and Tashrifat military camp and presidential palace as insurgency militias tried to advance towards the army’s sites.
In retaliation to all its losses, Houthi and Saleh militias heavily targeted towns of al-Maafer.
Number of casualties was not determined, if there were any to begin with.
The militias bombed the city hysterically and snipers targeted civilians killing on Tuesday a citizen on his motorcycle in Kalabah neighborhood, two days after a child was killed in the same neighborhood.
Informed sources in Taiz reported a disagreement between Houthis and Saleh militias near al-Mahareeb mosque which resulted in a fight killing a commander from Dhamar district and three of his companions. Six militants were injured of both parties.
Commander of Taiz front, Major General Khalid Fadel reiterated during a meeting with officials and commanders the importance of training and increasing the combat readiness among soldiers. He praised the efforts of soldiers and commanders on the different fronts in the country.
Media Center of Popular Resistance in Ibb reported that the insurgents had 95 violations during June ranging between murder, theft, armed robbery and trespassing among other crimes.
In related news, AL Chief Ahmad Abul Gheit stressed Tuesday the importance of mobilizing international efforts to tackle challenges to water and food security in the Arab region.
“Nearly seven million persons in Yemen, which has been experiencing a fierce civil war, are facing the dangers of famine, which made the country a base for the severest food security crisis in the modern history,” Abul-Gheit said in his speech at the 40th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Conference, in Rome.
The AL Chief highlighted “the region is subject to water scarcity, drought and food insecurity, which are all phenomenons that have been growing since civil wars erupted in some Arab countries after 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.”
Aboul gheit reviewed the major initiatives executed on the Arab level to deal with these crisis and the different strategies set to help overcome the problems.
He hailed the efforts of the crucial collaboration between AL and FAO and stressed the importance of setting policies and joint programs between the two institutions to achieve food security.