Yemeni army says 129 Houthis killed in clashes, airstrikes in Taiz

By Mohammed Sameai and Sahin Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Yemeni army said late Monday that 129 Houthi fighters were killed and 176 others wounded in clashes and airstrikes over the past two days in the southwestern province of Taiz.

In a statement, the army’s Taiz Military Axis Command said government forces continued their offensive against Houthi positions in the al-Misrakh district, south of Taiz city, for a second consecutive day.

The operation was carried out with support from local fighters and residents, inflicting heavy losses on the group, it added.

The command said army units also conducted a raid on a Houthi position in the al-Aqrud front, killing and wounding several fighters.

It added that warplanes carried out 13 airstrikes Monday evening, targeting Houthi positions, weapons, military equipment, ammunition depots and gatherings across Taiz province.

“Some 129 Houthi fighters were killed and 176 others wounded by our forces and airstrikes over the past 48 hours,” the command said.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the army’s claims.

Taiz holds strategic importance because it connects Yemen’s northern and southern provinces and serves as a vital transportation and supply corridor between the interim capital Aden and the country’s central and northern regions.

The province also includes the Red Sea port of Mokha, near the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Since fighting intensified in July, government forces and their allies have announced advances on several fronts, including regaining control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and areas of the Dhubab district.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have tightened their siege of Taiz city from surrounding northern, western and eastern highlands following advances in parts of the province’s countryside.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several other provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

The Houthis control much of northern and western Yemen, while government forces and their allies hold Aden and large parts of the country’s southern and eastern provinces.

Şahin Demir