The Yemeni Army and its allies in the Popular Resistance committees on Saturday reached the outskirts on route linking Sanaa and Marib after taking control of the mountains and highlands overlooking the region, military sources said.
The army and the committees — both loyal to the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi — are trying to recapture Sanaa, still under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
The Houthis retained control over Sanaa after their attempted coup in September 2014.
In Taiz, the army and the committees defended their territories against an attack by the Houthis around the 35th Brigade, Madrat, Al-Han Mount and Al-Sayahi area west of the southwestern city.
Sources in the committees also reported a failed infiltration attempt by the Houthis into Sharaf Assalo, an area located south of Taiz.
The recent clashes led to the killing of 29 Houthis, while one pro-government fighter was killed, the sources said. At least 17 fighters from the pro-government camp were also injured.
Sources said an airstrike by Saudi-led coalition killed two Houthi field commanders, Aqeel Ali Ahmed Naji and Amin Faisal Moawad, in the province of Saada, bordering Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, three Yemeni soldiers were killed Saturday when a mine they had “dismantled” and taken away in their vehicle blew up as they stopped in a marketplace, a security official said.
Seven other people including three civilians were wounded in the blast in Huta, capital of the southern province of Lahj, a bastion of Al-Qaeda, according to the official.
The soldiers had “dismantled” the mine planted by suspected extremists on a road on the edge of Huta and placed it in the back of their vehicle, he said, declining to be named.
The device exploded when they stopped at a market in the city, he added.

Source: Arab News