Houthi militias continue to plant landmines in areas under their control, causing casualties among civilians, including children.
Doctors without Borders (MSF) issued a new report saying that in an effort to prevent the advance of the Arab Coalition’s ground troops, thousands of mines and improvised explosive devices were planted across the region’s roads and fields.
The organization warned that the principal victims of these “lethal hazards have been civilians, many of whom have been killed or maimed for life after unwittingly stepping on an explosive device.”
In August 2018, MSF set up a hospital in the city of Mocha, Taiz, where the organization’s teams perform emergency surgery on “people injured by mines one-third of them children.”
“We urge the authorities as well as specialist organizations to step up mine clearance operations to reduce the number of people killed and injured by explosive devices in civilian areas,” it said.
The media center of Amaleqa Brigades (Giants Brigades) of the West Coast front, reported that its forces responded to a Houthi attack west of at-Tuhayat district, in Hodeidah. Houthi armed groups attacked the Brigades’ bases with medium weapons and artillery shells, but the Brigades thwarted the attack, killing and injuring several insurgents.
In a brief statement, Amaleqa asserted that the attack is not the first of its kind. The militias previously attacked several sites in different areas of Hodeidah, all of which have been foiled.
Houthis also continue to target the military positions of the Brigades with various types of heavy and medium weapons, RPGs and mortars, as the militias continue to break the ceasefire and violate all UN resolutions and agreements signed by the militia in Sweden.
In turn, Amaleqa Brigades and joint forces are committed to the UN truce and continue to monitor the ongoing Houthi violations, said the statement.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni National Army shot down on Saturday a militia drone carrying explosives aiming to target army sites in the northern province of Saada, the Houthis’ stronghold in northern Yemen.
This is the third drone to be downed within a week in Maran front.
The army’s official website reported that last week, armed forces of Aroba Brigades brought down two drones belonging to the militias on the same front.
“The wreckage of the explosive-laden drones showed they were Iranian-made and intended to attack the army bases,” added the site.
In related news, Colonel Abdul Basset al-Bahr indicated that the Taiz military axis leadership issued directives to all its forces to consider any drone a hostile target.
In Damt of Dhale governorate, as the national army forces continued to advance, heavy clashes occurred, leaving a Houthi commander dead and 20 other insurgents killed and injured, according to a military source.
The clashes began late Saturday and continued till Sunday morning at the Murais front.
The source pointed out that the battles intensified after the national army forces thwarted a Houthi attack on army sites in the vicinity of al-Harioh, Jaalmim, and Dha al-Ansar mountains, south of Damt.
He confirmed that Abu Karrar, the Houthi commander of the so-called "al-Sammad Battalion", was killed during the clashes.
