Pro-government fighters recapture Yemen’s largest base from Houthi rebels

Forces battling Houthi rebels in Yemen say they have captured the country's largest military base following several days of intense clashes that have left dozens dead.

In a statement on Monday, the exiled government claimed complete control of al-Anad base, which is in Lahej province in southern Yemen. Forces loyal to the exiled president continued to fight pockets of resistance outside of the compound on Tuesday. But if held, the seizure of the key base would represent a major boost for government troops in their efforts to wrest control of the country back from rebels.

“With the help and backup of the Arab-led coaltion, this achievement was possible,” a spokesperson fof the exiled government said.

The capture of the Al-Anad base — once the site of U.S. intelligence operations against Al-Qaeda's powerful Yemeni affiliate — is seen as a significant victory for the forces allied to Yemen's exiled President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The base was taken by Houthi rebels when the conflict intensified in the spring and was their main encampment in the country's south. The pro-government forces took 45 prisoners in the battle for the base and were now marching north, toward another rebel-held military base called Labouza — the largest in the south, the military officials said.

The pro-Hadi troops were also supported by Popular Resistance Committees, which have sided with the government in the fight against Houthis.

The Houthis' loss of the base deals a significant blow to the Shia rebel group, which has seized large parts of the country but recently lost control of the southern port city of Aden. Spread over 15 square miles, the Al-Anad base houses a military airport, a war college, and an arms depot. It was previously used by U.S. forces as an intelligence gathering hub and base for drone attacks on Al-Qaeda in Yemen.

Nasser Hadour, an officer in the Popular Resistance, told Al Jazeera that their forces were also able to enter another military base between al-Sader and al-Madina al-Khadra in Lahej province.

The assault by anti-Houthi forces began after new weapons, including armored vehicles that had been supplied by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, arrived to reinforce fighters.

At least 50 Houthis and troops loyal to Hadi were killed in fighting for the base, military sources told Al Jazeera. At least 23 Popular Resistance fighters were also killed, the sources added.

There was no word from the Houthis on the outcome of the battle, but the Houthi-run Saba news agency said earlier that Saudi-led air raids had repeatedly struck the military base.

Hadi remains in Saudi Arabia, where he fled in March as the Houthis closed in on his refuge in Aden. The Houthis had broken out of their northern strongholds and seized control of the capital Sanaa in September, plunging Yemen into another bout of conflict.

With wire services