Al Mukalla: Yemeni military units seized control of Mafraq Al Mokha, a strategic intersection on the main road that links that the city of Taiz with the Red Sea town of Mokha.
Local military commanders said on Sunday night that forces from Al Amalika Brigades, backed by Saudi-led fighter jets, stormed the area after heavy clashes with the Iran-backed Al Houthi militants.
The fresh gains, west of the city of Taiz, helps secure the neighbouring Khalid Bin Waleed military camp and would effectively place anti-Al Houthi troops closer to Al Bareh town, the target of a raging offensive by thousands of army troops, led by Tareq Mohammad Abdullah Saleh.
The same military unit also seized control of a number of mountains that overlook Al Bareh town on Sunday night.
By liberating Al Bareh town, government troops would cut off supply lines to Al Houthi militants who lay a siege on the city of Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city, and would prevent them from staging attacks against government troops advancing along the country’s Red Sea coastline towards the city of Hodeida, the last major port city under Al Houthi control.
Meanwhile, government forces took control of the centre of Ketaf district, northeast of Saada, scoring a key victory in the current offensive aimed at reaching the Al Houthi stronghold which hosts their leaders and arsenal of ballistic missiles and arms. Yemen’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday government forces seized control of mountainous areas and roads leading to the centre of Ketaf before advancing further into the heart of the district.
As many as 20 Al Houthi militants, including three field leaders, were killed in the clashes that began on Friday, the Defence Ministry said in a statement on its official news site.
Air strikes from Saudi-led coalition fighter jets helped clear the roads for advancing government forces.
Yemeni forces also liberated Al Sabhan region in Aleb, north of Saada, after heavy clashes with Al Houthis in the past few days.
In the northern province of Hajja, Yemen’s army announced taking control of Medi district after pushing Al Houthis from their last mountainous locations in the district.
Supported by the Saudi-led coalition, Yemen’s government forces seized control of Medi last month and also liberated Al Houthi-held mountains south of the city.
