Al Mukalla: Dozens of Al Houthi fighters have been killed and at least two dozens arrested in continuing fierce battles with government forces inside a presidential palace in Yemen’s city of Taiz, army commanders and state-run media said on Thursday.
Abdo Hamoud, a pro-government army commander, told Gulf News that government forces seized control of the western side of the presidential palace and other buildings nearby and at least 100 Al Houthis and 12 loyalists were killed in the fighting. “ Government forces have managed to foil many attacks by Al Houthis to recapture their previous positions in the palace,” Hamoud said.
A week ago, government forces backed by air support from the Saudi-led coalition staged an attack against Al Houthi fighters stationed inside the presidential palace. Hamoud said that the rebels use the palace’s hilly location to shell residential areas in the city’s downtown.“The aim of the attack was to destroy those machine guns that kill civilians,”
Despite facing stiff resistance, government forces stormed the palace’s western gate and gained control of some buildings, scoring a major military achievement in Taiz battlefield. Local journalists embedded with government forces posted photos of dozens dead Al Houthi fighters left behind after the fierce fighting.
Al Houthis usually resort into arbitrarily shelling the densely populated city after suffered major defeats on the ground. Hamoud said that civilians have suffered the burnt of Al Houthis’ revengeful shelling on the city. “ As many as 20 civilians have been killed and 80 others injured in the continuing shelling since the beginning of our offensive on the presidential palace.”
The state-run Saba news agency reported that Major General Khalid Fadhel, the commander of Taiz Axis, visited the presidential palace where he urged his forces to press on with their offensive until they push the Al Houthi militia from remaining parts of the palace. Saba also said that Yemen president and his deputy rang army commanders in Taiz to congratulate them for the gains.
Despite a two-year long siege and heavy shelling on the city, the rebels have failed to tilt the battle there in favor of them. The rebels are in control of the eastern, southern and northern suburbs of the city while government forces control the city’s downtown and the western edges of the city. Meanwhile, in the southern province of Shabwa, fighter jets from the Saudi-led coalition attacked military reinforcements heading to Al Houthi fighters in the district of Bayhan, Yemen’s Ministry of Defence said.
