ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Houthi militia on Saturday captured a military base of the Yemeni border guard troops in the country's northwestern province of Hajjah following intense battles, a military official told Xinhua.
"During the past hours, ferocious attacks were launched by the Houthi fighters against the Yemeni government forces stationed in Hajjah's strategic district of Haradh near the borders of Saudi Arabia," the local military source said on condition of anonymity.
He confirmed that the Houthis completely seized Al-Muhassam military base of Yemen's border guard forces and other neighboring mountainous areas in Haradh.
"The government forces withdrew from the area as the the Houthis intensified their attacks and used explosive-laden drones in their random shelling," he said.
Scores of fighters from both warring sides were either killed or injured as a result of the intense battles sparked during the past 24 hours, according to the official.
Under the cover of the intensified airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition, the Yemeni government forces have been engaged in intense battles recently with the Houthi fighters in Haradh, which was the main gateway for Yemen's exports before a land port there was closed by the Houthis in 2014.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. ■
