Massive ground attack on rebels

By Nasser Arrabyee/11/10/2009


The government troops are launching a massive ground attack on Al Houthi rebels in the areas around Sa'ada city, military sources participating in the attack said Sunday.

"We started the attack at the dawn, with artillery, tanks, and air fighters bombarding the hideouts of the rebels and the troops advancing,” the sources said.

The new military units, which were sent from Sana'a two days ago, are participating in the attack of Al Makash green farms where the rebels hide and repeatedly attack the city of Sa'ada.

For the frontline of Al Malahaid far west of Sa'ada province, the troops took controlled over the two important posts of Al Kamairah and Habajer where 25 rebels were killed Saturday, a military official statement said.

Six cars laden with weapons and supply for the rebels were destroyed Saturday in the areas around Sa'ada, said the statement.

Two of them were destroyed in Kuzan mountain one of them was carrying a gun machine, 23mm. One was destroyed in Al Zailah area and three others were destroyed in Al Camp area nearby the city of Sa'ada.
A sniper killed three rebels in this area and destroyed one of those cars, the statement said.
The hideout of the terrorist Hussein Yahya was destroyed, statement said.

For Al Houthis side, the rebels killed about 8 soldiers and injured tens of others in the battles of these areas according medical sources at Al Salam hospital in Sa’ada city.

The rebels also killed four people and injured four others including a woman and two of her children in different attacks.

In the district of Manabah in the far north of Sa'ada province, which is under the control of the rebels, "The saboteurs and terrorists killed cold-bloodedly the 95-year old Hussein Salem Saeed AlManabhi in front of his family," the statement said.

The over-aged Al Manabhi is the father of the member of parliament Hussein Al Manabhi, who was previously killed by the rebels for cooperating with government.

The wife of Hamiad Kashwa and two her children were killed and four others injured including the husband when the rebels exploded their car in Al Safra district, the statement said.

In a new development, the rebel leader Yahya Al Muhatwari was put on trial Sunday for the charges on participating in the armed rebellion.

Al Muhatwari, the first rebel leader to be tried before the State Security Court since the beginning of this war on August 10th, was running a media campaign for spreading the rebels ideas.

Politically, the Yemeni government welcomed an agreement by the rebels leader Abdul Malik Al Houthi on dialogue, but it said the rebels must first abide by the five conditions it set at the beginning of the war. The rebels must go down from the mountains and hand over weapons before sitting dialogue tables.