Yemen army retakes southern city from Houthi rebels

By Shoukry Hussein

ADEN, Yemen (AA) - The army on Friday recaptured a city in Yemen’s southern Dhale province from Houthi rebels, according to a military source.

“The army has succeeded in liberating the city of Qatabah from Houthi militants,” Yemen’s UAE-trained Security Belt forces said in a statement.

“Following an offensive that began early Friday, the army managed to wrest total control of the city,” the statement read, going on to assert that “dozens” of Houthi fighters had been killed in the offensive.

The Houthi leadership, for its part, has yet to comment on the army’s claims.

Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014, when the Houthi rebel group overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat