Spokesman for Yemen’s Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yehya Saree, announced on Thursday that the Yemeni army troops and allied fighters from Popular Committees managed to deal a severe blow to Takfiri militants and Saudi mercenaries during the recent large-scale military operation in the central province of al-Bayda, killing hundreds of them in the process.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital Sanaa, Saree stated that Yemeni armed forces notched up glorious victories during Operation “Manifest Victory”, and killed 350 Takfiri terrorists, including members of Daesh [Arabic for ‘ISIS/ISIL’] and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP] terror outfits. Scores of them fled as well.
“Takfiri groups sought to assert control over several districts in al-Bayda province. The resurgence of Takfiri outfits was in fact part of US plans to target Yemen, and plunge it into the hands of mercenaries and extremists,” he pointed out.
Saree added, “The large amount of weapons that Yemeni army troops, Popular Committees fighters and security forces recovered from Takfiri terrorists shows the extent of support provided by the [Saudi-led] coalition of aggression to Saudi-paid militants.”
The senior Yemeni military official went on to say that the invading Saudi-led alliance supplied the militants with weapons, and allowed dozens of foreign Takfiris to sneak into Yemen.
“This battle once again exposed the true nature of Takfiri Daesh and al-Qaeda elements, and their affiliation to the United States. Relevant parties in Yemen are properly informed of the activities of these Takfiri elements in various regions, including the city of Marib and elsewhere,” Saree highlighted.
The spokesman for Yemen’s armed forces highlighted that Takfiris have committed numerous crimes against residents of al-Bayda province, prompting Yemeni security forces and armed forces to act quickly.
“Different Yemeni army units, supported by local residents of al-Bayda and … tribal fighters, launched a large-scale operation in the area. During the major offensive, Yemeni missile units carried out nine attacks with [domestically-developed ballistic] Badr and Sair missiles. Drone and missile units launched a total of 66 retaliatory attacks. Separately, Saudi-led fighter jets carried out more than 161 airstrikes in support of Takfiri groups operating in the region,” Saree said.
Saudi Arabia, backed by the US and regional allies, launched the devastating 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.
Yemeni armed forces and allied Popular Committees have, however, gone from strength to strength against the Saudi-led invaders, and left Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the country.
The Saudi war has left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead, and displaced millions more. The war has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and spread famine and infectious diseases across the Arab country.
The battle in central Yemen remains as volatile as ever, with Saudi-led coalition and Ansar Allah clashing for Marib city, but also for Baydha.
In Baydha, the Houthis (as Ansar Allah movement is known) are on the defensive, as the Saudi-led coalition began an offensive to recapture the area earlier in July.
Fighting raged between Yemen’s government forces and Houthi rebels, killing 320 fighters from both sides in the central province on July 12th and 13th.
Fighting in Bayda came as the Houthis attempted to break through government defenses in the strategic city of Marib, also located in central Yemen. The rebels have been trying to capture it from the Saudi-led coalition since February.
The government has been sending reinforcements to Bayda since losing to the Houthis some of the districts.
The Houthis, alongside defending from the Saudi-led coalition are also reportedly fighting ISIS and Al-Qaeda elements from Baydha, announcing recently the clearing of terrorists in Al-Soma’a and Al-Zahir.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed that the group would stop the Saudi-led coalition’s advance in Baydha and push them back in “three days” from July 13th.
This comes as Ansar Allah have stopped their almost daily drone and rocket attacks on various positions in Saudi Arabia.
Still, on July 14, a series of explosions rocked the outskirts of the central Saudi city of al-Kharaj to the south of the Kingdom’s capital Riyadh.
Local activists shared videos on social media showing large explosions near al-Kharaj, where ammunition depots and military bases are known to be located.
A spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Turki al-Malki, claimed in a brief statement that an “accident” was behind the explosions.
Despite the statement, some sources suppose that the al-Kharaj explosions were the result of an attack by the Houthis. The group is yet to make any claims in regard to the explosions.
Saudi Arabia continues its daily airstrikes, in addition to hundreds of ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah, despite claiming that it has stopped. It only hasn’t targeted the capital Sana’a for a while.
Meanwhile, any form of peace appears out of reach. The Yemen puppet government in Aden urged the Saudi-backed coalition to shift its way of dealing with the Iranian-backed Houthi militias’ inflexibility in peace efforts.
Still, the government speaks against the Houthis and says that they need to back down, as well. Apart from condemning the Houthis for their aggressions, the Yemen government praised the Saudi-led Arab Coalition for backing pro-government forces in their fight against the militias and their efforts to restore security, peace and stability to Yemen.
Jul 14, 2021
Filed under: Al Qaeda, ISIS, Yemen | Tagged: Aden, al-Baydha, Saudi-led war on Yemen, South Yemen, Yemeni Army and Popular Committees |
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