ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Forces loyal to Yemen's government announced on Monday that 14 members of the Houthi militia were killed in an ongoing fight over the country's oil-rich province of Marib.
"The army units backed by local tribesmen continued their military operations to defeat the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Marib's southern parts," a brief press statement released by Yemen's Ministry of Defence said.
It revealed that "the army forces set up a well-planned ambush and targeted a gathering of the militia, leaving 14 Houthi elements killed in addition to destroying two military vehicles belonging to the rebel group."
The fight is still going on between the two warring sides in the turbulent oil-rich province of Marib amid intensified airstrikes.
Local sources confirmed to Xinhua that the Saudi-led coalition conducted several air raids against the Houthi-held sites in different locations of Marib during the past hours.
Meanwhile, media outlets affiliated with the Houthi group reported that 28 Saudi-led air raids struck their locations in the province of Marib.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia launched in February a major offensive on Marib in an attempt to seize control of the oil-rich province, the last northern stronghold of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
Yemen has been mired in civil war since September 2014 when the Houthi militia forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. Enditem
