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Ansarullah fighters seize key airbase in south Yemen

The photo shows forces loyal to Yemen’s resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, at the entrance of Al-Anad airbase, Lahij, March 24, 2015. © AFP

Ansarullah revolutionaries of the Houthi movement have seized a key military airbase in the southern province of Lahij.

"The Huthis took control of al-Anad airbase" after engaging in "limited clashes" with forces loyal to Yemen’s resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, an unnamed Yemeni official told AFP on Wednesday.

The airbase is located just 60 kilometers from the port city of Aden from where Hadi has just fled.

The United States used the Anad airbase to launch drone strikes against the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Some 100 US soldiers, including Special Forces commandos, evacuated the base last week after al-Qaeda militants captured a nearby town.

On Sunday, the Ansarullah fighters had managed to take control of the southwestern Yemeni city of Ta'izz, a strategic city between the capital, Sana’a, and Aden.

Meanwhile, reports said that the former Yemeni defense minister, Mahmoud al-Subaihi, was captured by Houthis in Huta, the capital city of Lahij province.

Hadi has also reportedly escaped from Aden to an unknown place as Ansarullah forces entered the city.

The photo shows Yemen’s resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, (L) and his defense minister, Mahmoud al-Subaihi. © AFP

 

The new developments came a day after Yemen’s resigned president urged the United Nations Security Council to authorize military action in the strife-torn country against Ansarullah revolutionaries.

On Monday, Hadi had also called on Persian Gulf Arab countries to intervene militarily in Yemen.

Following the call, Saudi Arabia moved heavy military equipment, including artillery, to areas near its border with Yemen.

In late January, Hadi, along with the cabinet of Premier Khaled Bahah, stepped down over pressure from the Ansarullah revolutionaries, but the Yemeni parliament did not approve their resignation.

Hadi fled his home in the capital Sana’a on February 21 after weeks under effective house arrest and went to Aden, Yemen’s second largest city, where he officially withdrew his resignation and highlighted his intention to resume duties.

FNR/NN

 

 


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