Houthi militias execute Yemenis allied to Saleh

A military commander in the Yemeni army has revealed ongoing executions within the Houthi militias of and ousted Ali Saleh coup in Bayhan and Usaylan, the last stronghold in the province of Shabwa in eastern Yemen.

Members of the pro Ali Abdullah Saleh militias are being executed by their Houthi allies, according to a top Yemeni commander.

Brigadier Ahmed Al Aqili, battalion commander of the Yemeni national army in Shabwa province said that sharp differences broke out between the Houthi commanders and pro Saleh military personnel in the Bayhan front.

The disagreements led to a purge within the ranks of what was called the Republican Guard.

Aqili confirmed that the Houthi militias had eliminated four Saleh loyalists in the district of Bayhan during the past two months. He said that the disagreements centered on pro Saleh officers refusing to comply to orders given by Houthi commanders.

The province is witnessing a large scale attack by the national army, who is supported by the Saudi-led Arab coalition..

Coup militias suffer heavy losses

Aqili said that the Houthi militia suffered heavy losses in Bayhan during the recent operations including a number of top commanders.

Yemeni forces have intensified their operations to liberate Usaylan and Bayhan with support from the coalition forces, which are the last Houthi militia strongholds in the eastern province of Shabwa.

Gaining control of Bayhan will allow the national army to block an important route to the militias. Bayhan acts as an eastern gate to Marib province, and is situated less than 50 km from the Jannat and Safer oil and gas fields.