Saudi-backed commander wounded in ambush near Bab al-Mandab

LAHJ, Nov. 03 (YPA) – A commander of the Saudi-backed Fifth Al-Amaliqa Brigade and dozens of his fighters were wounded in an ambush by Sanaa forces near Bab al-Mandab, west of Lahj governorate, on Monday, field sources familiar with the matter said.

The sources said Akram Abu al-Baraa, head of the Deterrence Brigades, was leading about 200 fighters in a convoy of more than 30 military vehicles when Sanaa forces lured them into an ambush near Dhubab Airport.

The fighters found themselves trapped in the ambush, where Sana’a forces opened fire on them with various types of weapons.

They fled in different directions, only to find themselves in a large minefield. The ambush left Abu al-Baraa wounded and many of his fighters dead or injured, prompting a widespread retreat among Saudi-backed forces.

Sanaa forces had also repelled an advance by Saudi-backed forces on the Bab al-Mandab front. Trucks were reportedly used to transport casualties to hospitals in Aden, which were already treating hundreds of wounded fighters.

Ayman Askar, commander of the Support Brigade of the Second Al-Amaliqa Brigade, and several of his escorts were also killed by Sana’a forces while taking part in reinforcements heading toward Bab al-Mandab, the sources said.

Sana’a forces had advanced beyond the Kahboub mountain range toward Ras al-Ara in recent hours and continued to advance on the al-Maqatirah and Tur al-Baha fronts, amid further setbacks for Saudi-backed forces, according to the sources.

@E.Y.M