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YEMEN-HOUTHI REBELS-KILLING
12 Houthi rebels killed by Yemeni gov’t forces
ADEN, Yemen, June 5, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – At least 12 fighters of the Shiite
Houthi group were killed in armed confrontations with government forces in
Yemen’s central province of al-Bayda on Tuesday, a military official told
Xinhua.
The military source, who asked to remain anonymous, said the army soldiers
aborted an infiltration attempt by Houthis in government-controlled area of
Malagim in al-Bayda province, killing 12 rebels in the clashes.
The Media Center for the Saudi-backed Yemeni armed forces confirmed in a
statement that “artillery shelling and airstrikes caused huge casualties
among Houthi rebels in al-Bayda province.”
However, the Houthi-affiliated media outlets reported that a large-scale
military operation was launched against the government forces in al-Bayda
province.
The Houthi military operation resulted in killing and injuring several
“mercenaries” and seizing their weapons, according to the pro-Houthi media.
The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the
Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily
and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in
2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after
Iran-backed Houthi rebels forced him into exile.
The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world’s number one humanitarian
crisis, with seven million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera causing
more than 2,000 deaths.
BSS/XINHUA/FI/ 1642 hrs