Yemeni govt reports gains against Houthis east of Sanaa

By Mohamed al-Samei

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - Pro-government forces on Thursday recaptured several mountain cities east of capital Sanaa after clashing with the Shia Houthi militia and their allies, according to a pro-government source.

Pro-government forces captured a military site in Sanaa’s Nahm directorate following a fierce attack by Houthi fighters, Saleh al-Qutaibi, a member of the pro-government “popular resistance”, told Anadolu Agency by phone.

“Pro-government forces have reached the outskirts of Akran village, which, if taken, would cut the Houthis’ supply lines,” he said.

He went on to say that pro-government forces had also captured a number of hilltops in the Al-Safina Mountain region in Sanaa’s Al-Qutaibi directorate.

Yemen has remained racked by chaos since 2014, when the Houthis and allied forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh overran Sanaa and other parts of the country.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a wide-ranging military campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains in Yemen and restoring the country’s pro-Saudi government.