ADEN // Yemeni pro-government forces liberated Taez province’s Haifan district from Houthi rebels yesterday morning after two days of fierce fighting.

Haifan district lies south of Taez city on the border with Lahj province.

When Lahj was taken from the Houthis in June last year, Haifan became the main route connecting Aden with Taez city and Sanaa after the Shiite rebels blocked the main road through Karesh area.

Adnan Al Qirshi, a field commander on the Haifan front, said: “The battle of liberation started on Sunday, and we received military reinforcements from the southern resistance, as Haifan is near to Lahj province, and early this morning we recaptured the centre of the district from the Houthis.”

He said both sides had suffered casualties but would not give numbers because of the ­effect on morale.

“We do not care about the casualties if we are advancing, as the liberation of the country is our aim,” the commander said.

The Houthis had been preparing to hit Lahj province from Haifan, but pro-government forces were able to capture arms caches left behind by the rebels when they fled the district.

“After the liberation of Haifan, we merged with the pro-government forces in Al Qabaita area [north of Haifan], so now we are stronger than before and we can put new plans to advance to liberate other areas in Taez,” said Cdr Al Qirshi.

As pro-government forces now control the route from Aden to Haifan, it will be easier for military reinforcements to reach the troops now in Haifan.

Appealing for support from the government and coalition forces, Cdr Al Quirshi said: “If we receive enough weapons, ammunition and money with which to pay the fighters, we will then have enough forces to ­advance towards Taez city to break the hard siege.”

Parts of Taez city have been under almost constant siege from the rebels since last August and there is now a shortage of all ­basic commodities.

The Houthis have blocked all main routes into the city, forcing residents to enter and leave Taez through mountain tracks.

Clashes continued on different fronts in Taez city yesterday, with the Houthis targeting pro-government barracks in Tha’abat in the east.

foreign.desk@thenational.ae