Ansarullah fighters seize key military base in Yemen
Iran Press TV
Thu Jan 29, 2015 3:10PM
Ansarullah fighters of Yemen's Shia Houthi movement have taken control of a key military base near the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, official sources say.
Yemeni security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told local media that the Ansarullah revolutionaries had managed to seize the Republican Guard camp, located south of Sana'a, on Thursday.
Some sources say the seized camp was manned by forces loyal to former long-time dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh. The place was also used by US military advisors until 2012.
The Shia revolutionaries have gained control of a number of important military facilities across the country in recent days.
The new developments come as the impoverished Arab country is currently grappling with a severe political crisis between the central government and Ansarullah fighters.
Last Thursday, Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the cabinet of Prime Minister Khaled Bahah resigned after Shia Ansarullah revolutionaries seized the presidential palace in the capital.
Yemen has been the scene of tensions after the Shia Ansarullah fighters arrested Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, Hadi's chief of staff, at a checkpoint in the western district of Hada on January 17.
In September 2014, Ansarullah revolutionary fighters gained control of Sana'a following a four-day battle with army forces loyal to General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, the half-brother of the country's former dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
JR/MKA/SS
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