ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 10 pro-government Yemeni soldiers were killed in a missile attack launched by the Houthi rebel militia against the country's oil-rich province of Shabwa on Thursday, a military official told Xinhua.
"The Houthi rebel militia bombed a base of pro-government forces recently stationed in the southwestern part of Shabwa with explosive-laden drones and ballistic missiles," the local military source said on condition of anonymity.
Two Houthi-fired missiles and two explosive-laden drones struck the pro-government forces positioned in Merkhah As Sufla district of Shabwa, causing huge explosions, and killing 10 soldiers of the pro-government troops and injured more than 17 others in the area, he added.
According to the official, all the killed and wounded soldiers were part of the reinforcements in the last two days to help with the ongoing operations against the Houthis in Shabwa.
On Monday, elite military units of the pro-government Giants Brigades were dispatched from Aden, the country's southern port city, as part of the plans to launch a large-scale military offensive against the Houthis in the strategic southern province of Shabwa.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels made substantial advances on the battlefield in September, capturing Bayhan and other key areas in Shabwa.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthi militia overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthis forced him into exile. Enditem
