Yemen Houthi leader admits retreat in Shabwa province

UAE-trained troops drive into the Yemeni city of Shabwa, east of the Red Sea port of Aden, on January 20, 2022. [SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images]

Leader of Yemen’s Houthis group, Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, has admitted that the group’s forces are losing control over the Shabwa governorate, southeast of the country.

In a speech broadcasted by the group’s Al Masirah news channel, Al-Houthi said: “In the past few weeks there have been some setbacks in Shabwa.”

“However, this does not mean that our people have been defeated,” he said, adding that the steadfastness of his forces in confronting aggression is a commitment of faith.

In early January, the Yemeni army announced that it had recaptured the districts of Bayhan, Usailan and Ain, west of Shabwa. While on 25 January, it said that it had retaken the Harib district in Marib Governorate.

Since it started in March 2015, the war in Yemen has led to the death of more than 377,000 people.

READ: Houthi leader says US, Israel ordered UAE to escalate in Yemen

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