Yemen's government forces take over Aden

ADEN, Yemen (AA) - Yemeni Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani on Wednesday affirmed via Twitter that the "national army forces entered Aden airport and took full control of the main districts in the province."

The new developments came hours after government forces seized control of the Abyan province from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces.

"Large forces from the army arrived in Aden city from Abyan and Shabwa provinces after liberating the two cities from the STC forces," a local source said earlier.

This came following fierce battles the government forces launched against the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-backed STC forces that demand the separation of the southern part of the country.

Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated the following year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen and supporting the country’s pro-Saudi government.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara