More than 60 killed in Yemen as Iran-backed Houthi militia continues offensive


Government forces fire towards Houthi militia fighters during clashes northwest of Marib in central Yemen on Feb. 11, 2021. (AFP)

More than 60 killed in Yemen as Iran-backed Houthi militia continues offensive

AFP
Published: 26 February ,2021:

Over 60 fighters were killed in clashes in Yemen Friday between the Iran-backed Houthi militia and government forces in the strategic northern province of Marib, government sources said.

The dead included at least 27 pro-government forces and 34 Houthi fighters, a government source told AFP, adding it was the “most violent” day of clashes since fighting erupted earlier this month.

The Houthis moved into hills near a dam southwest of the city of Marib -- the last major toehold in the north for Yemen’s government -- with the area witnessing “the fiercest battles,” according to the source.

A military source said that pro-government forces repelled the Houthi advances and reported heavy fighting that lasted “more than eight hours” in the Ablah region south of Marib city.

There was loss of life on both sides, the military source added.

Earlier this month, the Iran-backed Houthis resumed a push to capture the city of Marib, which lies close to some of Yemen’s richest oil fields.

Its capture would be a major prize for the rebels.

Read more: Houthis target Marib residential area with ballistic missile

50 Killed in Clashes Between Yemeni Forces, Hadi Militiamen in Ma’rib

TEHRAN (FNA)- At least 50 people have been killed in fierce battle for the Northern city of Ma’rib between Yemeni army forces and militiamen loyal to the pro-Saudi former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.


Earlier this month, Yemeni soldiers and their allied fighters from the Popular Committees resumed an offensive to take control of the oil-rich city, Hadi’s last urban stronghold in Yemen, which is some 120 kilometers East of the capital Sana’a.

On Saturday, army forces and allied fighters continued with their push for the target.

An unnamed source in Hadi’s camp told AFP that during the intense clashes in 24 hours at least 22 militiamen had been killed.

The source added that more than 28 members of the Yemeni army and the Popular Committees also lost their lives “in the fighting that continues unabated on the fronts in Ma’rib province.”

Other reports said Brigadier General Abdul Ghani Sha’alan, the pro-Hadi commander of Ma’rib provincial military police, was also killed after he sustained critical wounds in the clashes.

On Friday, more than 60 people were killed in the battle for Ma’rib. It was the bloodiest day since the start of the offensive on February 8. Reports said the dead included at least 27 pro-Hadi militiamen and 34 members of the army and the Popular Committees.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 to bring Hadi back to power and crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The Houthi fighters, however, have gone from strength to strength against the invaders and significantly helped the army, leaving the Saudi-led coalition forces bogged down in Yemen.

At least 80 percent of the population of 28 million is reliant on aid to survive in what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Earlier this month, the UN agencies warned that about 400,000 Yemeni children aged under five are in danger of losing life this year due to acute malnutrition.

The war has destroyed or closed half of Yemen’s hospitals and clinics, leaving the people helpless particularly at a time when they are in desperate need of medical supplies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.