Houthis, allies clash with army in southwestern Yemen

By Mohamed al-Samei

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - At least 32 militants affiliated with the Shia Houthi militia and their allies -- along with six pro-government fighters -- were killed in Thursday clashes in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province, according to a local military official.

“Clashes in eastern Taiz left more than 27 Houthis and their allies dead and a number of others injured,” army spokesman Mansour al-Hassani told Anadolu Agency.

“Five Yemeni soldiers were also killed, while 20 others were injured,” he added.

Nevertheless, al-Hassani asserted, the Houthis -- along with allied forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh -- have continued to target army positions in Taiz with artillery fire.

Meanwhile, he added, in western Taiz, Houthi fighters had launched fierce artillery attacks on several army positions.

“Clashes in western Taiz left five Houthis dead, along with a soldier from the national army,” he said.

Impoverished Yemen has remained in a state of civil war since 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran capital Sanaa and other parts of the country.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s pro-Saudi government.

According to UN officials, more than 10,000 Yemenis have been killed in the conflict to date.