Yemeni forces liberate villages south of Hodeidah

Arab coalition backed Al Amalikah brigades push to disrupt Houthi supply route

Al Amalikah brigades in Al Duraihimi. Aseel Al Sakladi for The National 

Yemen's Al Amalikah brigades have liberated large parts of the Al Duraihimi district south of Hodeidah city, killing more than 15 Houthi fighters and arresting 100.

The ongoing military operation aims to disrupt the main Houthi supply route north of Al Duraihimi, a military source in Al Amalikah brigades told The National.

The troops on Sunday pushed into the Houthi-controlled northern areas of Al Duraihimi and liberated the villages of Al Mankam, Al Shagan and Al Gerbah in a bid to cut off the road that stretches from the districts of Baiyt Al Faqih to Zabieyed.

"Our forces stormed most of the Houthi fortifications in the center of Al Duraihimi," said Lt. Shafiq Al Maqraee of the Al Amalikah brigades. "We have been imposing a strict siege on them since the morning."

Yemeni soldiers backed by the Arab Coalition and deminers continue to mobilise to secure areas in Hodeidah province and retake the Red sea coast.

Also on Sunday in the port city of Hodeidah a high-ranking Houthi officer and two of his men were shot and killed by masked gunmen, residents who witnessed the incident told The National.

The fight for the port of Hodeidah, a key lifeline for supplies and aid for Yemen's population on the brink of starvation, has become the latest battleground in the devastating war.

The rebels have held onto the northwest of Yemen since the beginning of the war in 2015 as they continue to fight the Yemeni forces closing in on the rebel-held capital of Sanaa.

The Iran-aligned Houthis regularly fire into Saudi Arabia and have targeted its capital, Riyadh, with ballistic missiles.

The UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has been pushing to bring the warring parties to restart peace talks. He recently announced plans to invite Yemen's warring parties to Geneva on September 6 to hold the first round of consultations.

In the southern province of Taez forces loyal to Yemen's Al Islah party clashed with Salafi leader Adel Farea Abu Al Abbas' men, killing more than six. For months the city of Taez has seen ongoing clashes between a number of different armed groups.

_________

Read more:
WATCH: Defusing landmines in Yemen

Pro-government forces thwart two Houthi attacks in Hodeidah

UN's Yemen envoy warns against allowing war to drag on

Coalition aid will help rebuild Yemen