Local Yemeni tribes on Wednesday recaptured the strategic district of Al Rahbah in southern Marib from Iran-backed Houthi insurgents.
The battle lasted for more than 16 hours, tribal leader Sheikh Mohammed Al Qardaei Al Muradi told The National.
Marib is the last stronghold of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government in northern Yemen.
“We liberated the strategic district of Al Rahbah after fierce battles that erupted before dawn,” Sheikh Mohammed, head of the Murad tribes, said in a phone interview. Dozens of Houthi fighters were killed and 15 were arrested.
Sheikh Mohammed leads the anti-Houthi tribal resistance in oil-rich Marib.
“Al Rahbah district is now fully secured and our fighters have taken control over Al Ramad mountain, the last mountain overlooking the main road which links the province of Marib with the province of Al Bayda,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Al Rahbah is a strategic area as it links three governorates: Marib, Sanaa and Thamar. It is the stronghold of the powerful Murad tribes who are known for their staunch position against the Houthi movement.
The enmity between the Murad tribes and the Houthis goes back to the early twentieth century. Yehya Hamid Al Dine, the Zaidi Imam of the Mutawakkilite kingdom which ruled northern Yemen between 1918 and 1962, was killed in 1948 by Ali Naser Al Qardaei, the prominent tribal leader and sheikh of the Murad tribes.
The block of local tribes based in the south-western tip of Yemen took the lead to defend their homeland, even before the coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched Operation Decisive Storm in March 2015 to restore the legitimate government, which was overthrown by the Houthis.
The Murad tribes eventually succeeded in pushing the Houthis back to the northern swathes of Sanaa in northern Yemen.
“Our men have never been late to fulfil the call of duty. We don’t fight for the sake of power but we fight for the sake of our land and our dignity,” Sheikh Mohammed told The National earlier this year.
The Murad tribes have lost nearly three thousand fighters in battle against the Houthis since 2015, said Sheikh Mohammed.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Analysis
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INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Racecard
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m