13 Houthi rebels killed in northwestern Yemen

ADEN, 29 Sep 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: Thirteen Houthi rebels, including two high-level members of the group, have been killed in northwestern Yemen, the Yemeni army announced Friday on its website.

Colonel Kanan al-Ahsab, commander of the 102 Brigade, said a raid was conducted in Baqem directorate of Saada province -- a traditional Houthi stronghold, according to 26sepnews.net.

Ahsab said 12 Houthis were killed in the operation, including Abdullatif al-Ashul, the commander of the group.

Another militia member who was in charge of supply and support was also killed during a clash, the website said.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

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

The ongoing violence has devastated Yemen’s basic infrastructure, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.