News / Yemen

Yemeni forces seize five military bases of Saudi mercenaries

Friday, 27 January 2017 10:37 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 27 January 2017 10:50 AM ]

Yemeni Houthi fighters brandish their weapons during a rally against Saudi airstrikes in Sana’a, March 26, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

Yemeni army forces, backed by Ansarullah fighters, have gained control over five military bases belonging to Saudi mercenaries in Tai’zz Province.

Several Saudi-backed militants were reportedly killed on Thursday during the clashes with Yemeni armed forces in al-Wazi’iyah District of Ta’izz, where the bases are located.

The Yemeni fighters also repelled a militant attack in the Hamir area of Wazi’iyah District.

According to Yemen’s al-Masirah television, 16 Ansarullah fighters have been released in the course of a prisoner swap with the Saudi-backed militants.

Ansarullah has also rejected the Saudi mercenaries’ claim that they have captured the Red Sea city of Mokha.

The Yemeni operations come as Saudi warplanes keep pouring bombs on civilian targets in the country in support of its mercenaries on the ground.

On Thursday, at least six people were killed and over a dozen injured in the latest Saudi airstrikes on different parts of Yemen.

A Yemeni Houthi Ansarullah fighter walks past destroyed houses in the old quarter of the northwestern city of Sa’ada, Yemen, on January 11, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

One civilian was killed and seven others were also injured when bombers targeted Mokha. Local sources report the use of banned cluster munitions in the attacks.

Elsewhere in Shabwa Province, airstrikes hit a moving vehicle, killing two of its passengers and wounding the other four.

Similarly, airstrikes on a highway in al-Bayda Province resulted in the death of three civilians. Four people were also wounded in the assaults.

The Saudi aggression will enter its second year on March 26. The war, waged in an unsuccessful attempt to reinstate the former government, has so far killed well over 11,000 Yemenis and pushed the rest of the nation to the brink of famine and abject poverty.

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

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk