Al Mukalla: Government army troops and tribal fighters from Sana’a Resistance on Friday took control of some mountainous areas almost 35km northeast of the capital after fierce fighting with Al Houthis and their allies forces of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, a spokesperson for the resistance told Gulf News.

Abdul Kareem Thou’el said that some areas in Faradhat Nehim district have fallen to pro-government forces who are advancing into the eastern side of the capital for the first time since the beginning of the current military operations to remove the rebels from capital.

“The fighters are now in control of many areas in Faradhat Nehim. If Faradhat Nehim falls, Arhab and Bani Houshish regions will fall and then the resistance can lay siege on the capital from the north and east.”

Thou’el, who is also a member of the Sana’a Resistance Supreme Council, said that taking control of the remaining areas before reaching the capital could take some time, citing the difficult terrain of the battlefield.

“Our fighters are fighting in rugged areas. Faradhat Nehim district is the hardest obstacle facing the resistance before knocking the eastern doors of the capital.”

Four pro-government forces and dozens of Al Houthis were killed in Friday’s clashes.

Pro-government army commanders have formed a special army regiment called Brigade 141 to handle the Sana’a operation. Hashem Al Ahmer, a tribal leader from Hashed tribe and one of many opponents of Al Houthis who left Yemen after the rebels’ capture of the capital in September last year and returned to the Marib province in November, is commanding the brigade while Mansour Al Hanaq, a powerful tribal leader from the outskirts of the capital, is leading the Sana’a Resistance fighters. Last week, government forces made a major breakthrough in the fighting against Al Houthis when they stormed Hazem city, the capital of Jawf province and shortly pushed the rebels out of other districts in the same province.

Meanwhile, Dr Anwar Bin Mohammad Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Abdul Malek Al Mekhlafi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen, met on the sidelines of the emergency meeting of the Arab League Council of Foreign Ministers to discuss developments in Yemen and the progress of political efforts.

They stressed that any successful political solution in Yemen can only be based on the GCC initiative, the outcome of the National Dialogue Conference and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216. They also stressed that the militants’ commitment to the agreed ceasefire and the release of all detainees are among the essential steps towards a successful political transition in Yemen.

The meeting also tackled the humanitarian and relief situation in Yemen and the legitimate government’s efforts to restore life to normal in areas liberated from the militia and repair the destruction caused by the coup against the government.

— With inputs from WAM