95 Saudi-Led Soldiers Killed in NW Yemen Fighting

Houthis report dozens of fighters also captured

The Houthis have issued a statement on fighting in northwestern Yemen’s Harad, reporting 95 members of a pro-Saudi force were killed, and dozens were captured.

The Saudi side has issued no statement on their assessment of two days off fighting in Hajjah Province. The casualties were reported as 15 Saudis and 80 Sudanese, labeled “mercenaries” in the Houthi statement.

With fighting centering on the Yemen-Saudi border in recent weeks, there has been renewed focus on control off the region around Harad. The Houthis are reportedly gaining ground here, saying they’ve expelled the pro-Saudi forces from areas near the Red Sea.

Gaining ground doesn’t mean victory in Yemen, of course, where heavy fighting over small swathes of land can last for months with the final decisive battle never coming, and the other side eventually reversing the fight in a counterattack.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.