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Dozens killed as Yemeni Houthis clash with Saudi-backed militiamen

Thursday, 26 January 2017 11:46 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 27 January 2017 4:22 AM ]

Saudi-backed militiamen loyal to resigned Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi sit in the back of an armed vehicle following clashes with Houthi Ansarullah fighters in the southwestern port city of Mokha on January 23, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Dozens of people have been killed as Houthi Ansarullah fighters put up resistance against Saudi-backed militiamen loyal to resigned Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in the southwestern province of Ta’izz.

An unnamed medical official said skirmishes raged in the Red Sea port city of Mokha, situated 346 kilometers south of the capital, Sana'a, over the past 24 hours, leaving 20 Ansarullah fighters and seven pro-Saudi gunmen dead. Dozens more sustained injuries as well.

A pro-Hadi militia commander asserted that Houthis are still in control of the city center, while Saudi-sponsored armed men have taken up positions on three axes around Mokha and wrested control over the road linking the coastal city to the provincial capital city of Ta’izz.

Nearly 230 people have reportedly died ever since Hadi loyalists launched an offensive on January 7 to recapture Mokha from Ansarullah fighters.

Saudi aircraft target various areas across Yemen

Meanwhile, scores of people lost their lives and sustained injuries as Saudi fighter jets targeted several areas in the al-Khazirah neighborhood of Mokha.

Saudi warplanes had earlier carried out six airstrikes against Jabal Abu an Nar mountainous area and al-Mizan al-Mehwari district east of Mokha, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Also on Thursday, Saudi jets hit Khalid ibn al-Walid military base on the outskirts of Mokha. No reports of casualties and the extent of damage were available.

Smoke billows behind a building following a Saudi airstrike in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, on January 22, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

A broadcast transmitter in the al-Marawi'ah district of the western Yemeni province of Hudaydah was struck on three occasions as well.

Saudi military aircraft also bombed Hudaydah Airport, but no words on damage and casualties were reported.

The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, says the Yemeni conflict has claimed the lives of 10,000 people and left 40,000 others wounded.

McGoldrick told reporters in Sana’a on January 16 that the figure is based on lists of victims gathered by health facilities and the actual number might be higher.

The Saudi war on Yemen, which local sources say has killed at least 11,400 people, was launched in an unsuccessful attempt to bring back the former government to power.

The Saudi war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools and factories.

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