Hundreds of army recruits from military camps run by the Saudi-led coalition graduated Wednesday in Aden.

Army officials said the soldiers underwent intensive military training in the camps and would be soon be deployed in liberated cities to maintain security.

Thousands of soldiers have been trained by the coalition since the beginning of their military operation in Yemen in 2015.

The country’s army and security apparatus crumbled in the early days of the war when thousands of soldiers loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh switched sides and supported Al Houthis.

Meanwhile in Riyadh, Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi met Mathew Tueller, the US ambassador to Yemen

The state-run Saba news agency said that Hadi discussed the US ambassador the war on terror and military operations against Al Houthi across Yemen.

The meeting came amid heavy clashes in Yemen’s Jawf province.

Eight army troops, including two officers, loyal to the internationally-backed government were killed on Wednesday morning during heavy clashes with Iran-backed Al Houthi militants and allied tribal leaders.

The clashes erupted overnight Tuesday when Al Houthi fighters launched two simultaneous attacks on government forces on the Ham mountain in the Mazwea region of the Metoun district.

Abdullah Al Shraf, a spokesperson for Jawf resistance, told Gulf News that Al Houthis killed eight government forces and took over some government-held positions in the area.

“Government forces later drove them back after reinforcements arrived and killed a number of Al Houthi militants,” he said.

Government forces have been in control of most of the province, including the capital Hazem for almost a year.

Even before the Al Houthi-coup on Sana’a in 2014, Jawf often witnessed clashes between Al Houthis and local tribes.

Thousands of Jawf residents fled when Al Houthis took over in 2015 and it was later liberated by government forces.

Meanwhile, fierce clashes also broke out Wednesday in the province of Saada, the Al Houthi heartland, as the government forces backed by coalition fighter jets push forward with their advance on Saada city.

In west Yemen, government forces pushed rebel forces 10km further north of Yakhtul on the Red Sea after heavy clashes in the last few days.

Unable to confront the advancing forces, Al Houthis planted thousands of landmines and deployed snipers in the area just outside of the strategic Khokha region.

Government forces are advancing north on Yemen’s Red Sea coast and their final stop will be the liberation of the port city of Hodeida

source : gulfnews