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Yemeni government forces advance on rebel-held capital

Xinhua, February 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

Yemen's government forces pushed their way into the mountains northeast the rebel-held capital on Tuesday, recapturing major military posts that overlooking roads to Sanaa, tribal sources said.

"The government forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi backed by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes took control of Fardhat Nihm military camp early Tuesday morning, which is the largest military post overlooking the main road to Sanaa, as well as other three mountains surrounding the area after four-day fighting against Houthi fighters," one tribal source said.

Dozens from both warring sides were killed as the heavy battles and airstrikes forced residents to flee their homes and seek shelters in remote villages, the source added.

The sites locate in Nihm district, about 50 km northeast of the capital Sanaa.

The impoverished Arab country was plunged into violence in September 2014 when the Shiite Houthi group invaded the country's capital Sanaa, driving President Hadi into exile.

The conflict soon turned into an all-out civil war between pro-government forces and Houthi rebels backed by troops loyal to former President Saleh, triggering foreign military intervention by Saudi-led coalition warplanes to restore the internationally recognized government of Hadi.

More than 6,000 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, half of them civilians.

Hadi and his government have recently returned to the southern port city of Aden under protection of the Saudi-led coalition forces which have retook the city along with three other southern provinces from Houthi fighters in July last year.

Ground fighting is still continuing on a daily basis in other provinces of Taiz, Marib, al-Jawf and the Yemeni-Saudi shared borders in the Yemeni northwest province of Hajja.

The warring forces have failed to reach a political solution or agree to resume talks after their latest UN-sponsored negotiations in Switzerland in December.

The deadlock came after former pro-rebel president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, said he would not negotiate with Hadi's government, vowing to "continue fighting to expel the coalition forces out of the Yemeni territories." Endit