Military source: Houthi rebels suffer big losses in Sa'ada

SANA'A, Aug.27 (Saba) -
The air forces made raids against dens of the Houthi rebels in Rahwa, al-Madraj, and
al-Anad
killing a number of rebels and destroying trucks carrying munitions and supply for
the rebels a military source in Ministry of Defense announced Thursday.

Currently the units are carrying out mopping-up operations in the areas located by
Harf Sufyan - Sa'ada road", the source added.
The Military and security units have secured and reopened a number of main roads
closed by the Houthi rebels in Yemen's strife province of Sa'ada and in Harf
Sufyan district
of Amran province, the source announced.
The military source told Saba that the military and security units have purged the
areas surrounding those roads from the rebels in Mahdha and al-Makash roads in
Sa'ada
province.
An anti-terrorism unit forced rebels to run away from their location in Mahdha
area, while the military and security units coped with the rebels' attacks in
al-Jabal al-Aswad
area in Harf Sufyan district killing a number of them, the source pointed out.
The source noted that the military and security units have cleaned a number of
houses in Sa'ada province from the rebels in addition to evacuating several farms
in which
the Houthi rebels were stationing.
The Houthi rebels have been launching sporadic wars against the troops since 2004.
Since the fighting erupted in 2004, thousands of people, soldiers and insurgents
have been killed in Saada province, which located close to border with Saudi
Arabia, after
the rebel group was founded by rebel leader Hussein al- Houthi.
Hussein, the eldest brother of the current group leader Abdul-Malik, was killed by
the army in September 2004.
The Yemeni government accuses the Houthi group of trying to reinstall the rule of
imams, which was toppled by a republican revolution in northern Yemen in 1962.
More than 65 people have been killed and over 107 others wounded as the al-Houthi
rebels continued their attacks in the various areas of Yemen's volatile province of
Saada
since a ceasefire was announced in July 2008.
Clashes have been revived recently between the army and the Houthi rebel group in
Yemen's restive region of Sa'ada.
Earlier this month, the Yemeni government announced conditions for a ceasefire in
the area but it seem the defiant rebels have not yet accepted the conditions.
According to the UN mission there are more than 160.000 displaced people due to the
recent confrontations between the army and rebels.
BA