Yemen army registers gains against Houthis in Taiz

ADEN, 31 Mar 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: The Yemeni army and pro-government “popular resistance” forces have advanced close to Al-Rahidah, the second largest city in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province. 

“The national army and popular resistance forces have advanced to the center of the town of Al-Sahi [in Taiz]… following fierce battles with Houthi rebels,” army spokesman Antar al-Sobeihi told Anadolu Agency on Friday. 

According to al-Sobeihi, Al-Sahi is located some 10 kilometers (roughly seven miles) from the city of Al-Rahidah. 

Four “popular resistance” fighters were killed in the fighting, the spokesman said. 

The advance towards Al-Rahidah comes as part of a fresh army campaign that has so far succeeded in capturing Al-Sahi and the nearby Mount Shifan region from Houthi rebels. 

Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by conflict since 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.  

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a wide-ranging military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.