Yemen: Houthi rebels offer to release approximately 350 prisoners

Houthi rebels have reportedly announced plans to release approximately 350 prisoners whom they had captured during the attacks over the past three days in the southern Saudi region of Najran. On September 27 the Houthi rebels reportedly claimed that it had conducted an attack near Najran and had captured hundreds of Saudi's including mercenaries from Pakistan, Iraq, and Sudan. A statement by the Houthi National Committee for Prisoner's Affairs (NCPA) claimed that the individuals released were on the list of persons drawn up as part of the prisoner exchange deal agreed in Stolkholm in December. 

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Najran attack

Abdul Qader al-Murtada, the head of the NCPA said that that the initiatives by the NCPA prove their credibility in implementing the Sweden agreement. He further added that they also call on other parties to take a comparable step. The Houthi rebels also reportedly broadcasted video footage which was of a deadly attack in Najran that allegedly killed hundreds of soldiers, with thousands of others surrendering before the armed group including three brigades of troops which were led by the former-Pakistan Army chief Raheel Sharif. The Houthi military spokesman purportedly claimed that more than 200 were killed in dozens of strikes while trying to escape or surrender.

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'Fake victory'

Muammar al-Iryani, the Yemeni Information Minister, accused Houthi Rebels of claiming a fake victory to cover up their political dilemma. He said to a local media outlet that the Iran-backed Houthi militia attempts to propagate false victory through its media tools at a time when it is sustaining heavy losses in troops and machinery on a daily basis. The Houthis large swathes of urban areas, including the capital Sanaa. They claimed responsibility for the attack on pipelines belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco earlier, however, Riyadh reportedly claimed that the drone attacks were sponsored by Iran. 

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(With inputs from agencies)