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WORLD NEWS Saturday 16 June 2018

Fierce fighting intensifies outside Yemen’s Hodeida airport

By AHMED AL-HAJ in the outskirts surviving on
Associated Press bread crumbs they find in
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A the garbage. With the little
Saudi-led coalition and money they do have, they
Yemeni fighters backing buy cooking oil in plastic
the country’s government bags — just enough to
were on the verge of seiz- cook 1 meal a day,” the
ing control of the airport of group said, citing the ac-
a vital rebel-held port as counts of staffers.
fighting intensified Friday, Meanwhile, the U.S., which
with pro-government forc- has backed the Saudi-led
es within meters (yards) of coalition with intelligence,
the airport gates. logistical support and aerial
The death toll climbed to at refueling of fighter jets, has
least 280 on the third day not publicly opposed the
of the campaign aimed assault but has urged the
at driving out the Irani- coalition to ensure that hu-
an-backed Shiite rebels, manitarian aid deliveries to
known as Houthis, from the the port continue.
Red Sea port of Hodeida Washington however re-
that is the main entry point jected three requests by
for food and aid supplies in the UAE to increase its sup-
a country teetering on the port to the coalition with
brink of famine. This Feb. 15, 2018, photo shows a sign with Arabic that reads, “danger mines, danger mines” on logistics, intelligence, and
The Saudi-Emirati coalition the highway from Abyan to Aden in Yemen. mine-sweeping operations.
bombed Houthi positions Associated Press Marine Maj. Adrian Ran-
while rebels said in a state- meters (a half mile) from Yemen’s population of 27 meni people.” kine Galloway, a Pentagon
ment that they fired a bal- the airport. Another Yeme- million relies on aid and Hodeida, home to nearly spokesman, said the U.S.
listic missile at pro-govern- ni commander, Abu Zarah 8.4 million are already at 600,000 people, is some 150 has continued to provide
ment forces, but gave no al-Mahrami, was quoted risk of starving. The Saudi- kilometers (90 miles) south- aerial refueling for coalition
report of causalities. by Dubai-based Al-Arabiya led coalition accuses the west of Sanaa, Yemen’s aircraft and intelligence as-
The fighting comes at a time TV network as saying that Houthis of using the port to capital, which is under sistance. That aid includes
when Muslims around the pro-government forces smuggle weapons and mis- Houthi control. information on key civilian
world are celebrating the were “within meters” of the siles from Iran. The rebels The Saudi-led coalition has sites that should not be tar-
Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end airport. Military officials said have been raining ballistic imposed an air, sea, and geted in order to avoid ci-
of the holy month of Rama- preparations were under missiles down on Saudi cit- land embargo on Yemen vilian casualties.
dan. But in Hodeida, peo- way for a final push to take ies from across the border. since March 2015, aim- “We are not directly sup-
ple were stockpiling what the airport and that the The port is also a lucrative ing to dislodge the Houthis porting the coalition of-
little food they could for ground battles had largely source of revenue for the from the territory they con- fensive on the port of Ho-
fear of an imminent siege subsided by sunset Friday. Houthis, who have con- trol, paralyzing trade and deida,” Rankine-Galloway
and streets were empty ex- They said the assault on the trolled most of northern Ye- access to the country. The said. “The United States
cept for beggars and fight- airport would start at dawn men since 2014. coalition air campaign does not command, ac-
ers. Yemeni officials said on Saturday. Military com- The United Arab Emirates’ and Houthi bombardment company or participate in
dozens of pro-government manders said the opera- minister of state for foreign have left more than 10,000 counter-Houthi operations
fighters have been killed tion would be complicated affairs, Anwar Gargash, people dead and 2 million or any hostilities other than
since the assault began because the aim is to pro- said that the battle over displaced, and devastated those authorized” against
Wednesday, mainly from tect airport facilities, build- Hodeida is essential to the country’s already frag- al-Qaida and Islamic State
land mines and roadside ings and nearby fighter jets. break a stalemate in the ile infrastructure, including militants in Yemen.
bombs disguised as rocks The Houthis will depend civil war, which otherwise the health sector, which The request for mine
or sacks of wheat. On the on snipers and land mines could drag on for years. has helped spawn a chol- sweepers was diverted to
rebel side, bodies of Houthi to slow down the multi- Seizing the port “means era epidemic. France, which said it was
fighters were strewn across pronged advance. that the Houthis will no lon- In a series of tweets, the In- considering minesweeping
the front lines. Ahmed al- Aid workers have warned ger be able to impose their ternational Committee of in Hodeida after the end of
Kawkabani, a Yemeni who the assault on Hodieda’s will at the barrel of a gun,” the Red Cross said the peo- military operations there.
leads a pro-government port, known as the “mouth he said in a post on Twitter. ple in Hodeida were “brac- “Its purpose would be to
militia known as the Toha- of Yemen,” could shut “If they keep Hodeida and ing for the worst,” and tens facilitate the safe trans-
ma Brigade, told the Asso- down the vital route for its revenues and its strate- of thousands were expect- port of humanitarian aid
ciated Press that his forces some 70 percent of Ye- gic location, the war will ed to flee in the coming to the city’s population,”
were positioned in Dawar men’s food and humani- last a long time and (add days, some for a second the French Defense Ministry
al-Hodeida, just two kilo- tarian aid. Two-thirds of to) the suffering of the Ye- time. “People live in slums said in a statement.q