The Yemeni army has released an official statement on Sunday threatening tribal militants who are blocking roads between the governorates of Hadramout and Marib and coordinating with Houthi militias. The warning follows confrontations with the army during which deaths and injuries occurred on both sides.
The Yemeni government, at the same time, stressed the need to hold Houthi militias accountable for planting landmines.
On Friday, Houthi landmines killed three civilians in the Hays district, southwest of Hodeidah governorate.
“The attacks carried out by a group of subversive elements led by so-called Ali Nasser Hareqdan, targeted pedestrians on the road linking Marib and Hadramout,” a defense ministry official revealed.
“These attacks resulted in the death of two and the wounding of four army soldiers who were accompanying International Organization for Migration (IOM) workers,” they added.
Last week, after its convoy was attacked and two of its crew members were killed, the IOM said it was re-evaluating its work in Yemen.
Speaking to the media center of the Yemeni armed forces, the defense ministry official said that the group led by Hareqdan has a history of kidnappings and killings. Authorities have issued compulsory arrest warrants against the militant group’s members.
The official further accused the group of communicating and coordinating with terrorist Houthi militias. He affirmed that Hareqdan’s militants were actively targeting soldiers assigned to protect public roads.
On Thursday, the group attacked some military points, killing one soldier and wounding three others.
“Armed forces will carry out their national duty in securing travelers and protecting the country and citizens,” the official affirmed.
“The armed forces will strike with an iron fist anyone who disturbs security and stability,” they said, adding that the blood of the martyrs will not be wasted.
The official also appreciated the support of tribes in Marib. He said that they stood alongside the army and security forces and denounced criminal acts against citizens.
In other news, at least three civilians were killed, and a child was seriously injured by a landmine in the Yemeni province of Hodeidah on Friday, the country’s information minister said.
The mine had been planted by the Iran-backed Houthi militants in a village in the Hays district, Information Minister Moammar Al Eryani said.
“This heinous crime is an extension to the daily killing by the terrorist Houthi militia against innocent citizens in different governorates,” he said.
Eryani called on the international community and the UN “to hold the Houthi leaders and members who are responsible for these killings accountable.”
