Al Mukalla: Dozens of Iran-backed Al Houthi militants were killed and Republican Guards soldiers loyal to the ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh were killed and captured in fierce clashes outside rebel-held Sana’a.
The pro-government news site 26sepnews.net reported that the militants surrendered when government forces stormed their military camp in the rugged mountains of Nehim district.
Battles broke out on Wednesday when forces loyal to the internationally-recognised government, backed by Saudi-led coalition fighter jets and military advisers, staged an offensive aimed at securing major gains on the Nehim battlefield.
The ministry said the captured soldiers are from Brigade 63 Republican Guards and army troops took control of three hilly positions as coalition jets destroyed a pickup truck carrying ammunition heading to the rebel forces in Nehim.
Meanwhile, the coalition’s air defence system stationed in the province of Mairb intercepted two ballistic missiles fired at the city, the base of thousands of government and coalition troops.
The rockets were launched from areas controlled by the Iran-backed Al Houthis, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar, the vice president currently based in Marib, is in charge of leading the Nehim offensive.
In Riyadh, Yemeni president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi on Thursday night personally called senior army commanders to congratulate them on their latest advances in the Nehim and Jawf provinces.
He told the commanders to press on with their offensive until complete victory is achieved.
The advance around Sana’a comes amid a major offensive by Yemen army troops launched in early January dubbed Golden Arrow Operation which aimed at liberating the entire western coast of the country from Al Houthi fighters, including the port city of Hodeida in order to protect the vital Bab Al Mandab Strait from Al Houthi missiles and cut Al Houthis off from their weapons supply coming into seaports from Iran.
Hadi came to power in early 2012 after massive Arab Spring protests ousted Saleh. He was forced to decamp to the city of Aden after escaping Al Houthi-imposed house arrest after the rebels took over the government in a coup in 2014.
Since then, Hadi has shifted government headquarters to Aden from where he has led an offensive to liberate Al Houthi-occupied territories.
With help from the Saudi-led Arab coalition, it has achieved widespread gains in many provinces, but Al Houthis still control the capital, Sana’a, and most northern provinces including Hodeida, Ibb, Mahweet, Yareem, Amran, Baydha and Hajja.
Meanwhile, in the city of Taiz, seven Al Houthi fighters and several others were injured in clashes that erupted when rebel forces launched a surprise attack on government forces in the Magbanh and Salo districts.
Al Houthis also heavily shelled residential areas on the eastern outskirts of the city.
Hundreds of people have been killed since early 2015 when Al Houthi militias attacked the city, setting off heavy clashes with local resistance fighters and army units who opposed their occupation.
Unable to advance into the city’s downtown, rebels imposed a siege pushing thousands of residents to the brink of famine.
Local and international right groups have repeatedly blasted rebels for preventing humanitarian aid cargos from reaching the besieged city.
On Friday, Abdul Rageeb Fateh, the minister of local administration and head of Supreme Relief Committee, said the Al Houthi movement has seized 63 ships carrying humanitarian aid, shelters and drugs after docking at Saleef and Hodieda since early 2015.
Fateh told the official Saba news agency that rebels have also confiscated 223 humanitarian convoys heading to their territories and used the aid for their military efforts.
