The National
ADEN // A UAE Patriot missile system has shot down two ballistic missiles fired at Yemeni military targets by Houthi rebels in the province of Marib.
The first missile was shot down late on Friday in the Al Gofainah area, where there are military camps of soldiers loyal to president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, Brigadier General Murad Turaiq, the commander of the Yemeni military in Marib and Bayda provinces, told The National on Saturday.
He said the second missile was shot down over the control and operations building for military camps in both Marib and neighbouring Al Jawf province. Neither missile reached their intended target and there were no casualties.
The UAE deployed the Patriot missile system to Marib in September, shortly after 52 Emirati soldiers and 15 other fighters from the Saudi Arabia-led coalition were killed in a Houthi missile attack on the coalition’s Safer camp in the province.
Brig Gen Turaiq on Saturday thanked the UAE for providing Marib with the system.
Marib, which lies east of the capital, Sanaa, was liberated at the start of October by Yemeni soldiers and tribesmen loyal to Mr Hadi, backed by coalition forces.
However, Brig Gen Turaiq said there were still some Houthis present in the province’s Sirwah district.
He said 100 fighters had been sent to Sirwah, the Houthis’ former stronghold in Marib, to flush out the remaining rebels.
Mohammed Al Gadasi, a journalist based in the province, said the Houthis in Sirwah are originally from Marib and simply return to their homes and pretend to be ordinary civilians whenever pro-government forces enter the district.
“The Yemeni army should rid Sirwah of weapons as many people there are supporters of the Houthis and they will not let peace return to the district,” he said.
Meanwhile in Taez city, fighting continued on several fronts on Saturday, while the Houthis took control of the main road connecting the city to the provinces of Lahj and Aden. The road had been used by resistance forces fighting the Houthis to send military reinforcements to Taez and break the rebels’ siege of the city…
