Yemeni army soldiers, allied fighters seize control over strategic region in Ma’rib

Yemeni army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Committees have asserted control over a strategic area in the country’s central province of Ma’rib as they continue to gain on-ground military progress in their battles against Saudi-led coalition forces and their mercenaries.

Local sources, requesting not to be named, told Yemen Press Agency that Yemeni troops and their allies have seized Wadi Nakhla area, which lies northwest of the provincial capital city of Ma’rib, following fierce clashes with troops affiliated with the Saudi-led coalition and al-Qaeda elements.

The sources added that Yemeni army forces and Popular Committees fighters have strengthened their positions in and around the area to repel any possible attack by Saudi-led forces and Takfiri terrorists.

The Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said at a press conference on Friday that Yemeni army troops and allied Popular Committees had managed to liberate an area of 1,600 square kilometers in the oil-rich Ma’rib province, and killed or wounded thousands of mercenaries in the process.

Yemeni forces liberate large territory in Ma’rib in grand-scale offensive against mercenaries

The Yemeni forces have killed or wounded thousands of Saudi-backed mercenaries in Ma’rib, as well.

Saree described the liberation of Madghal and Majzar districts as one of the most important achievements of the ongoing Operation Intense Strength, noting that Yemeni armed forces had also wrested control over Mas camp, which was considered one of the largest camps used by the enemy during the past few years.

During the operation, the Yemeni army launched 161 missile strikes against positions of Saudi-backed forces and mercenaries, Saree said, adding that 128 such attacks hit targets inside Yemen and 33 others targeted areas deep inside Saudi Arabia.

He noted that homegrown Yemeni ballistic missiles, such as Badr, Nikal, Saeer, Qassem, Zulfiqar, and Quds 2, were used in Operation Intense Strength.

Saree further reported that the Yemeni army launched a total of 319 drone attacks during the operation, 136 ones against targets inside Saudi Arabia and 183 others against positions held by invaders in Yemen.

Negotiator: Yemen war would have ended in first year without US support

A top Yemeni official says the Saudi war on his country would have ended in its first year if the United States had not supported the aggressors.

Saudi Arabia, backed by the US and regional allies, launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the popular Ansarullah resistance movement.

The war has left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead, and displaced millions more. It has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and spread famine and infectious diseases.

Yemeni armed forces and allied Popular Committees, however, have grown steadily in strength against the Saudi-led invaders, leaving Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the country.

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