ADEN, Yemen, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A senior commander of Yemen's pro-government forces was killed in a roadside bomb attack targeting his convoy in the Red Sea province of Hodeidah on Saturday, the National Resistance Forces said in a statement.
The group identified the victim as Yahya Wahish, commander of its First Division, saying he was killed when an explosive device detonated as his convoy passed through the Al Khawkhah district in southern Hodeidah.
According to the statement, one of Wahish's escorts also died in the blast, while two other escorts were wounded.
The force accused the Houthis of planting the bomb. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis, and no group had claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The National Resistance Forces is led by Tariq Saleh, a member of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and a nephew of the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The force, established with support from the Saudi-led coalition, is headquartered in the strategic coastal city of Mocha near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Yemen has been gripped by conflict since late 2014 when the Houthis seized control of the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognized government.
A UN-mediated truce between the Yemeni government and the Houthis, brokered in April 2022, lasted six months before expiring. However, both sides have largely maintained a "de facto ceasefire" since then.
The war has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, leaving millions facing food insecurity and lacking access to basic services. ■
