ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Intense fighting continued on Saturday for the third consecutive day between Yemen's government forces and military units of Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the oil-rich southeastern province of Shabwa, a security official told Xinhua.
The security source said on condition of anonymity that "intense battles are still escalating over the control of key government institutions and military bases in different locations in Shabwa's capital city of Attaq."
He said that Yemen's government forces seized a military base belonging to the STC forces in the northeastern part of Attaq after intense battles that began overnight.
According to the source, the government forces also seized a local department of the STC political leadership in the center of Attaq.
Both of the Yemeni warring sides dispatched heavy military reinforcements to participate in the ongoing fighting raging over the control of Shabwa.
Large convoys of armored vehicles moved towards Shabwa from the military bases in the southern port city of Aden where the STC is based.
Sources of the STC confirmed to Xinhua that the STC leadership vowed to completely seize the oil-rich Shabwa during the upcoming days.
The ongoing fighting in Shabwa comes after the STC forces that are demanding secession completely seized Aden and neighboring Abyan province from the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
The STC was a part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition to fight Iran-backed Houthi militias in northern Yemen in a war that has rekindled old strains between the north and south of Yemen.
The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa.
