Al Mukalla: At least 19 Yemeni government loyalists and an unknown number of Al Houthis were killed on Sunday in fierce battles in the southern province of Shabw, local army officials and tribal leaders said.
The clashes erupted when hundreds of government forces mounted an offensive on Sunday morning to recapture Bayhan district from Iran-backed Al Houthis who took control of it during their rapid military expansion in early 2015.
“The aim of this offensive is to silence Al Houthi canons and shells that hit civilians in the neighbouring areas,” a senior government official who is familiar with the battle told Gulf News on Sunday.
Government forces have repeatedly tried to retake Bayhan, the only large southern region still held by Al Houthis, but have faced stiff resistance from Al Houthi militants and forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh who are working together.
The official said that he is optimistic that the current assault would lead to the liberation of Bayhan.
“This battle is different as the three army brigades are involved in the assault along with resistance fighters,” the official said.
During the early hours of the offensive, government forces arrested 22 Al Houthi fighters including five snipers and seized strategic mountainous areas forcing some Al Houthi fighters to surrender while others fled.
“Government troops and the resistance took control of Al Soulem, an important mountain where an Al Houthi military camp sits and Hayed Bin Agel, another mountainous region important to Al Houthis,” the official said.
Backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, forces loyal to president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi drove Al Houthis out of most of Shabwa’s districts in August last year.
This time, the official said, the forces are better equipped, as they have received more tanks and armed vehicles to assist in their offensive.
Minesweepers were also deployed before the offensive to ensure landmines left by Al Houthis would not impede their advance.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief reporters.
In the north, resistance fighters in the province of Jawf have appealed to the Ministry of Defence and the coalition to send landmine sweepers to defuse thousands of landmines laid by Al Houthis.
Al Houthis’ use of landmines has been sharply criticised by Yemeni forces and local and international rights groups.
Landmines have claimed civilian lives in Yemen on a nearly daily basis.
