Yemen Army kills 38 Houthi rebels in Marib, destroys their weapon-mounted vehicles

With the war between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government intensifying, the number of people getting killed in small-scale clashes has also increased. On Thursday, Xinhua, citing sources at the frontline, reported that a total of 38 Houthi rebels were killed in a fight against the Yemeni army in the central province of Marib. As of now, 130,000 people- both soldiers and civilians have died in the gruesome civil war that began nearly seven years ago. 

Despite repeated strikes, oil-rich Marib still remains under the control of the Yemeni administration. In the latest armed clash, there were no casualties on the military side, albeit as many as ten soldiers were wounded. Yemeni army manage to neutralise 38 rebels in the seven-hour-long battle. 

"The army forces killed 38 Houthi rebels in Al-Kasarah frontline in northwestern Marib and destroyed nine of their weapon-mounted vehicles in this morning," the anonymous source told Xinhua news agency. 

What is happening in Yemen?

Yemen has been engulfed in chaos since a civil war began in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and even forced the globally-recognised government headed by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. Later in 2015, the Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemen conflict to back Hadi’s government. According to AP, the conflict has been disastrous for Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, killing more than 113,000 people, creating a humanitarian disaster, and wrecking infrastructure from roads and hospitals to water and electricity networks.

Status of Houthis 

Earlier, Saudi Arabia, an ally of the Yemeni government, said that it will continue to treat Houthis as a terrorist organisation despite the US' decision to lift the designation on the group. On 12 February, the Joe Biden administration rescinded terrorist group designation from the Yemeni group, fearing it would block global aid to the country. However, Saudi Arabia, which has been engaged in a battle against them since 2014, stated that it would continue to forward with the designation. 

(File Image: AP)