Yemen army captures key mountains amid Mocha advance

Yemeni forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition have made more territorial gains along the Red Sea coast in the Taiz province, an army spokesman told Gulf News on Monday.

Abdo Abdullah Majili, a spokesman for the Yemeni army, said that government troops kicked Al Houthi militants out of Al Ameri mountain range and bombed Al Houthi forces retreating down the mountain.

They have also booted out the rebels from Al Mansoura mountain in Al Waziya, he said.

Dozens of government troops and Al Houthi militants have been killed in four days of raging fighting along the western coastal regions near the strategic Bab Al Mandab strait.

Fighting commenced on Friday when government forces launched a night-time military operation, named Golden Arrow, to liberate the coastal areas on the Red Sea, including the Mocha seaport, an infamous arms supply route to Al Houthis

On Sunday, a senior army commander told Gulf News that his forces completely liberated the Dhobab district as it pushed ahead towards other nearby regions.

The forces slowed their advances on Sunday as to enable explosive experts to defuse hundreds of mines laid by the defeated Al Houthis.

Majili said battles are now taking place around 35km south of Mocha and dozens of rebel forces have been killed by coalition fighter jets and navy bombardment as they advance towards Mocha.

Majili also confirmed media reports that the Saudi-led coalition has recently dispatched modern heavy and medium arms to the battlefields through the port city of Aden.

“The coalition is providing government forces with massive logistic and air support,” Majili said.

In the southern province of Shabwa, the Yemen Army Media centre said on Monday that the army soldiers defused more than 600 mines from the recently liberated Al Saq region.

The army recently launched another offensive in Shabwa to push Al Houthis out of their last bastions in the oil-rich province, including the Bayhan district.

Similar fierce clashes were reported on Monday in the city of Taiz where government forces continue efforts to liberate a strategic road that supplies the rebels with arms from the western port city of Hodeida.

Separately, a US drone killed on Sunday a local Al Qaida operative in the province of Baydha, local media reported.

Aden Al Ghad news site said Abdul Gani Al Rasas was driving his car in a remote region in Mansoura district when the drone fired its missiles.

Witnesses said the strike completely destroyed the car, causing the death of the militant.

US drones frequently carry out air strikes on local Al Qaida militants

source : gulfnews