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Coalition forces launch military operations against Houthi in Yemen's Marib

Xinhua, September 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition launched military operations on Sunday against the Shiite Houthi group and their allied forces in Yemen's central province of Marib, military sources said.

The ground operations, dubbed "decisive battle," aims to drive the Houthis from Marib, Yemen's most important oil-producing province, some 170 km northeast of the capital Sanaa.

"The ground military operations backed by the coalition warplanes are the most fierce one against the rebels in Marib to pave the way for entering the capital Sanaa, which is our main military target," a military officer in Marib told Xinhua by phone.

Thousands of Yemeni soldiers who were trained in Saudi Arabia, together with troops from the coalition and hundreds of tribesmen, participated in the operations, military sources said.

Thousands of families have fled Sanaa as battles in the capital are looming.

A government official at the office of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in Riyadh said "the president canceled all of his scheduled visits to his office on Sunday and headed to a coalition military operation room to follow up the sweeping attack against the rebels in Marib."

Yemeni officials said the massive war against the Houthis began after they refused to recognize the implementation of the United Nations resolution 2216, which calls the Houthi group to withdraw peacefully from cities and the capital Sanaa and to handover weapons they took from the army since September last year.

Earlier in the day, the official Saba news agency reported that Hadi's government would not take part in talks which was announced by the United Nations last week until the Houthi group recognize the UN resolution and implement it unconditionally.

On Thursday, the United Nations said peace talks between Yemeni parties are set to resume next week and urged all factions to participate "unconditionally and in good faith."

About six months of escalating violence across Yemen has left over 20 million people in hunger and in need of emergency aid as the people have limited access to electricity, fuel, food, water and medicine since the civil war broke out in late March.

Forces loyal to the exiled government have recently achieved victories against the Shiite Houthi group.

The coalition launched airstrikes on a daily basis since March 26 when Hadi fled to Riyadh to take refuge, aiming to restore Hadi's authority in the country.

Hadi's forces have recaptured five southern provinces including the port city of Aden since July. Endit