Brig. Gen. Ahmed bin Hasan Asiri, consultant at the minister of defense's office, stressed today that 'Determination Strom' is continuing for the eighth day in a row at all levels to complete the demolition of the Houthi might. In today's daily briefing, which he held at Riyadh airbase, Asiri confirmed that 'the campaign is continuing as scheduled in a progressive rhythm to ensure that all goals were achieved on time. He said work has focused during the past 24 hours, firstly on North Yemen as an enemy fire injured a number of border guard and killed one martyr. Following this incident, the Land Forces aircraft and field artillery responded to the source of fire and destroyed the group which tried to infiltrate. This is followed by an air support operation using air force strikers located near the scene to comb all the area from enemy troops trying to come nearer the border. He said that, secondly, the air forces and coalition forces continued their operations around Aden, particularly on the roads leading to the city from the directions of Al-Baidha or Al-Dhalea or Shabwa. We talked over the few past days about operations in Al-Dhalea and Shabwa, he said, adding that today we confirm that the two cities are now under the control of the popular committees and the resistance from the regular Yemeni army. He said all Houthi retreating troops from the two cities which tried to head for Aden were dealt with. He added that the situation around Aden is stable in the current time. Clarifying a media bomb the Houthi militia and the rebellion in the Yemeni army in Yemen tried to explode yesterday by making false coverage to what they claim as successes on the ground, Asiri said what happened is that some small groups in addition to anti-legitimacy insurgent army elements which were trying to attack the headquarters of the president in Aden before the start of the determination storm are still hiding in the city and, yesterday, in particular, they attempted to control some centers in the city through clashes with the popular committees, a move he described as an attempt to create a media crackling rather than a real military success on the ground. Asiri said the coalition forces are working in collaboration with the popular committees to wipe out those militias, noting that they have fortified themselves in some districts of Aden and were from time to time trying to proceed towards government's buildings inside the city, but so far they could not succeed. He explained that measures were taken so that the scenarios of yesterday near the border not be repeated despite that the infiltrators are moving as individuals and groups in very tough environment and areas through mountains. Work is underway to mount greater pressure on them, he said, adding that today, all camps which were subject to our attack earlier were repeatedly attacked to ensure that no new groups have assembled in them again. Asiri said one facility used to link Al-Shagra with Aden was destroyed to cut off any possible supplies from reaching the Houthi militia currently fortified inside Aden, noting that this should be considered a military target rather than part of the civil infrastructure. Targeting the buildings in which the Houthi groups or militia were fortifying themselves are also targeted today. Asiri pointed out that the Houthi militia is attempting to regroup its forces and capabilities to carry out a sort of counter attack, against the positions they lost, while operations are going on to stop them from exploiting the situation, indicating that a Sam 3 launching pad, at Al-Hodeida, has been targeted. Another position of air-defense also, a radar based at the Headquarters, a building used by the Houthi militia to carry out their plans on the ground, has been targeted, following verified intelligence information that there are a lot of commanders inside, he reaffirmed. He noted that these militias, following being exposed to continuous operations and coming under increasingly heavy pressures, have moved in different directions, in various Northern as well as Middle regions, trying to pull with them as much as they could of capabilities, indicating that dealing with such a militia is different from engaging regular armies, with formations and battle frontlines. Asiri cited what happened today, as the Houthis attacked some prisons to set the prisoners free, a fact that, only, reflects their non-sense practiced by this militia, inside the society and the objectives they aimed to achieve by wreaking havoc in it and escalating the situation against the legitimate Yemeni government, in steering the country's affairs. This militia adopts a specific ideology and aberrant creed and endeavors to impose it on the whole Yemeni society by force, reaffirming that the goal of the alliance, at the beginning of the operations, he asserted, was to protect the Yemeni people and that the coalition, with the will of Allah, will continue to operate at this tempo, to thwart this militia's goal of imposing chaos and disorder, in the Yemeni society, he added. Land forces are using helicopters to map out the whole zone adjacent to the border, to ascertain that there are no infiltrating groups, he remarked, confirming that the naval forces continue to impose the blockade on Yemeni ports as well as islands, to hinder smuggling operations from or to Yemeni soils and to deprive the Houthis from the possibility of getting any back-up, whatsoever. Answering reporters questions, the Coalition Spokesman Brig. Gen. Asiri commented on the situation, in Aden during the last 24 hours, as Houthis managed to enter its downtown, pointing that since the coup that toppled the legitimate government and the beginning of the military warfare, Houthis were controlling most of the Yemeni cities, Aden among, and that they were sending forces, from time to time, into the city, in addition to Yemeni Army soldiers who joined the Houthis as they were positioned, inside the city, even before the start of the warfare. Coming to the movements inside the city, he said Houthis pockets try to achieve a media showy victory by planting disorderly situation inside in the city and pretending that they are controlling the city, while the fact is that they are not controlling but a swath that is no more than one or two quarters, pointing that the pro-people's committees are trying to stop Houthi movements aiming at capturing official buildings and declaring themselves, triumphant, from there. The Coalition controls, now, the suburbs of Aden city to prevent these pockets, inside the city, off their supply lines of support or back-up, he asserted, adding that the situation inside the city is, relatively, calm, unless some sporadic skirmishes taking place between the resistance and Houthis. Coalition forces spare no effort to restore the situation in the city to normalcy, following, finally, doing away with the Houthi militia, he announced. On the need to deploy land forces or just, only, depend on airstrikes, Asiri pointed out that all probabilities, reiterating that Coalition forces are committed to their previously drawn plans, indicating that these forces are not moving in reaction rather pro-actively, as set by the military plans. Militias of the Houthis do not move likewise a regular army, as it used to resort to mobilizing small groups, only, while we do not like to engage such battles that may distract us off our military plan, he confirmed, concluding that the plan strictly goes on as, previously, set and drawn. He explained that the basic objective of this daily briefing is to let the Yemeni people in the first place, then the local and international public informed of exactly what is going on. He denied that the coalition forces have targeted or harmed any civilian object in any city, noting that Yemeni government investigators on the ground have verified that the two controversial sites were subject to ground-to-ground shells. In this regard, an international investigation will be launched to hold the culprits responsible and bring them before justice. He added that the Yemeni government is active and has contacts with the world community and relevant international organizations to take the necessary measures to protect the Yemeni people. Asked about the mechanism in force to contain or verify the authenticity of some collapsing Yemeni army brigades who announce their loyalty to the legitimacy, Asiri said the coalition forces have called on the members of the Yemeni army who were lured to join the Houthi militia, for any reason, to abdicate their position and re-join the legitimate organizations, noting that the Yemeni government is currently in contact with all military commanders who are stationed inside Yemen or outside the country and that the coalition forces are ready to provide whatever assistance suggested by the Yemeni government that would help regrouping, restructuring and reorganizing the army in the fight against the militias. He said the lack of legitimacy in Yemen in the presence of proliferation of rebels and militias would cause the spread of terrorist groups, noting that they are deployed in non-government run areas as such areas are considered as ideal incubators for them, citing what he called cooperation and interception of interests between Al-Qaeda and the Houthis as another evidence. Coalition spokesman explained that the Yemeni army is a participatory part among the coalition to save Yemen, and that it a part of us, adding that we are working together to liberate the Yemeni people from the grip of these militias. The media, he underscored, has a great role to play, in disseminating and transmitting facts to the public opinion, inside and outside Yemen, alike, and within coalition countries or the world, entire, away from interpretation or falsely mobilizing it through founded and baseless falsehoods.
