ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's pro-government forces on Friday managed to dismantle a minefield laid previously by the Houthi rebels in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a military official told Xinhua.
"A team of the explosives experts received calls from a local resident about existence of mines on his agricultural farm in Durayhmi district of Hodeidah, and immediately rushed to the site," the local military source said on condition of anonymity.
"Around 65 mines were successfully dismantled by the experts who managed to secure the residents in the area," the source said.
Flash floods caused by the recent heavy torrential rains washed away many of the Houthi-laid landmines in different areas of Hodeidah, raising fears among the local residents, according to the official.
Earlier this month, the engineering teams of the pro-government forces began a large-scale operation to dismantle anti-armor and individual mines in the areas between the Red Sea Mills and the air defense base in Hodeidah.
The Houthi-laid landmines and improvised explosive devices continue to pose a threat to the civilians despite the ongoing efforts in the mine-clearing projects in Yemen.
Previous reports by humanitarian organizations said Yemen has become one of the largest landmine battlefields in the world since World War II.
The Iran-allied Houthi rebels seized the northern provinces including the capital Sanaa in late 2014, forcing Yemen's President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile. Enditem
