Twenty-seven Houthi fighters were killed and dozens injured in fierce fighting with Murad tribesmen in Marib province, northern Yemen, on Tuesday.
The Murad tribesmen are aligned with the internationally recognised Yemeni government and have held back numerous offensives by Iran-backed Houthi militias in recent years.
"Our tribe has sacrificed 3,000 honoured martyrs for the sake of defending Marib
During the battle, which raged in the early hours of Tuesday, Murad tribal fighters drove the Houthi militias out of strategic sites north and east of Al Rahbah district, according to Sheikh Mohammed Al Qardaei, a prominent sheikh and military commander in the Murad tribe.
"Last week, our fighters stormed a major site controlled by the militias in Al Hadba, advancing across the mountainous chain of Al Kharaba, through which we gained control over the Houthi supply route linking Al Rahbah district with Najed Al Majmaah, southern Marib city," Sheikh Mohammed told The National.
“Taking control over the mountains of Al Quraidah and Al Awshal was crucial because these strategic mountains are overlooking major sites and supply routes still under Houthi control in the southern terrain of Marib,” Sheikh Mohammed said. His fighters are gearing up for an imminent offensive to cut the Houthi supply route in Wadi Baqthah, south-western Marib city, he said.
"Air support from the Saudi-led coalition launched more than five air strikes at Houthi military staging areas in Jabal Murad mountain, southern Marib, on Tuesday evening," Mustafa Al Baydhani a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committee in Southern Marib, told The National.
Fighters in Murad hail from a block of local tribes based on the south-western
tip of Marib province in north Yemen. They took the lead to defend their tribal homeland, prior to the intervention of the Saudi-led coalition, which launched Operation Decisive Storm in March 2015.
In the wake of the national army’s collapse and a doomed tribal uprising against the Houthis by the Al Awad tribes in Al Byadha in February 2020, Murad tribes gathered in Al Rahbah, their stronghold in southern Marib, resolving to fight the Houthis to the last man.
"Our tribe has sacrificed 3,000 honoured martyrs for the sake of defending the dignity of its people and the republican regime in Yemen," Sheikh Ahmed Al Muradi told The National in November last year.
Since February, Iran-backed Houthi militias have been desperately pushing towards Marib city in northern Sanaa, in a bid to take control of oil fields and the oil refinery in the province.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa, Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammad Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoon Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
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Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
The%20specs
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet