Yemen clashes leave more than 300 dead in several days

KABUL (Pajhwok): More than 300 people have been killed and nearly 1,800 families displaced in clashes between Yemen’s government forces and Houthi fighters in the southwest of the country over the past several days, a media report said on Monday.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the clashes took place in parts of Taiz province and areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, with casualties including fighters from both sides and some civilians.
Two military officials from Yemen’s government forces said 84 of their personnel, mostly in rocket attacks, had been killed between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.
The report, citing Houthi sources, said 57 members of the group had also been killed during the same period.
According to the report, figures collected from military and medical sources on both sides show that the overall death toll since the latest round of clashes began has exceeded 300.
It added the Houthis launched an operation on Thursday, during which fighting intensified along routes leading to the port city of Mokha and areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
A Yemeni government military official said the road linking Taiz and Mokha was blocked on Saturday evening as a result of the clashes.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said around 1,790 families had been displaced following clashes and shelling in the Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi areas of Taiz province.
The United Nations has also expressed concern over the continuation of the fighting, warning that an escalation of the war could have further humanitarian and economic consequences for the people of Yemen.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait is a major international shipping route connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean through the Gulf of Aden.
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