Yemeni leader reveals they have plans to control Saada

Military fronts of the Yemeni governorate of Saada witnessed increasing fights between Yemen’s governmental troops on one hand and Houthi militias and other forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh on the other hand on Monday. Meanwhile, Yemeni military leader said that militias are losing their fighting capabilities on some fronts.

Yemeni military leader Ebeid Hamad Al Athlah said that the national army has military plans to achieve progress in the Yemeni governorate which is considered the major headquarters of the Yemeni insurgents during the coming period, stressing that they managed to liberate large swaths of areas in the governorate during the recent period.

Saudi-led Arab Coalition forces backing legitimacy forces in Yemen announced destroying a medium-range missile shipment headed for insurgency militias based in the northeast Saada province in the war-torn country. Intelligence showed that the cargo was headed for Houthi headquarters.

Saada’s Media Center said in a brief statement published on its social networking “Facebook” page that an Arab-coalition aircraft targeted a truck carrying medium-range missiles for Houthi and coup militias in Saada’s Kitaf district. Coincidentally, fighting continued across various fronts in Yemen, where violent confrontations centered on Yemen’s west coast and west of Taiz.

Pro-government national army troops and popular resistance forces have made continued advances clearing insurgency-held districts, like Taiz where the strategic camp of Khalid bin Walid is found. Military clashes erupted between national army forces and the Iran-backed militias also in Al-Hamli, Taiz, hours after national troops broke the barrier into coup-run areas.

A military source in Taiz told Asharq Al-Awsat that coup militias were based in the Jubail area and a mountain chain overlooking the Khalid bin Walid camp. The national army, which began combing through militia land pockets, said that insurgents had planted landmines before retreating from the area.

Coup militias resorted to shelling residential neighborhoods in Taiz and other villages within the vicinity, the source said. After each loss suffered in the battlefield, militias retaliate against civilian targets, the source added.

Source: Timesofoman