Military Source: Saudi Forces Fail to Advance in Ma’rib Province

“Heavy clashes broke out between the Yemeni forces and pro-Saudi militants in Ma’rib province,” Yemeni Army Commander Khaled al-Nouri told FNA on Monday, adding that “the Yemeni troops pushed the Saudi-led forces back and killed tens of them while the Saudi jets struck the Yemeni positions over 100 times”.

The army commander reiterated that the Yemeni forces have pushed back the Saudi army, pro-Hadi militias and Al-Qaeda terrorists from several parts of Ma’rib province.

A military source said on October 8 that the Yemeni forces have inflicted heavy losses on the Saudi-led military contingent in the Sirwah district in Ma’rib, which lies about 120 kilometers (75 miles) East of the capital, Sana’a.

The source added that the Saudi-led forces were killed when Yemeni army troopers and their allies engaged them near the Kofel military camp.

The source also told Yemen’s Saba news agency that Saudi warplanes have conducted a number of sorties over Kofel district, Sirwah market as well as Jebel Hilan, and purportedly dropped a number of phosphorus bombs across Sirwah.

The source said Yemeni army and Popular Committees are making further headway in the fight against the Saudi forces, praising tribesmen from Ma’rib for their support for the Yemeni forces.

On October 5, Military sources revealed on October 5 heavy defeats and withdrawal of the pro-Hadi and Saudi forces in the province of Ma’rib.

“Saudi troops started their withdrawal from Ma’rib on Sunday morning after sustaining a heavy defeat,” popular forces commander Qeis al-Salami told FNA.

He noted that the Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini troops withdrew from the oil-rich al-Safer region after they were badly defeated.

“The Ansarullah fighter backed by the Yemeni army forced the pro-Saudi troops to withdraw by attacking them with different kinds of heavy and semi-heavy weapons,” he added.

Al-Salami also said that the Yemeni forces repelled an attack by pro-Hadi militias on al-Balaq region and killed tens of them in heavy clashes.