ADEN — Forces loyal to exiled President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi seized Yemen's southern province of Shabwa on Saturday, residents and tribesmen said, building momentum after weeks of victories against the dominant Houthi movement. The loyalist fighters, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have advanced on a broad front through southern Yemen in recent weeks, forcing the Houthis and army units aligned with former strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh into retreat. Tribal sources said a pro-Saleh military commander in the area had agreed with tribal forces to withdraw from the provincial capital Ataq after a week of fierce fighting throughout the province. "As per the agreement with tribes that pledged not to allow Al-Qaeda members to be present in Ataq, the city was handed over to the tribes," a Houthi official said. Residents said they saw military vehicles retreating north from Ataq on Saturday morning, as pro-Hadi forces advanced into the city with a column of tanks and armored vehicles. The Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in September.
Loyalist forces on Friday retook several facilities which had been held by the rebels in Taez, including police and Civil Defense headquarters, the government's Sabanew.net website reported. Speaking from Abu Dhabi on Friday, Yemeni Foreign Minister Riad Yasin thanked the UAE and Saudi Arabia for their support to his country. Loyalist forces took back full control of Aden last month and have since driven the Houthis from the provinces of Lahj, Dalea and Abyan, supported by airstrikes and military advisers from a Gulf Arab coalition. The Saudi-led alliance began launching airstrikes in late March just as the Iran-allied Houthis entered Aden, the last major city to hold out against a six-month advance through the country. For four months, the coalition has launched almost daily air raids across the country and cut off the Houthis' supply lines with a naval blockade, before loyalist forces were able to drive the Houthis from Aden and reopen the airport in late July. Since then, loyalist forces have made rapid gains, using tanks and artillery supplied by the coalition to drive the poorly-equipped Houthis back towards Sanaa and their northern stronghold. The United Arab Emirates has also deployed military advisers to support pro-Hadi forces. Foreign diplomats and aid groups have pleaded for a political solution to the fighting. — Reuters
