SANAA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least three Yemeni soldiers were killed and 15 others wounded Thursday when Houthi drones struck a base of Yemeni government forces in the country's southeastern oil-rich province of Hadramout, a military official told Xinhua.
The local official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several Houthi drones targeted a base of the 3rd Division of the Nation Shield Forces in Al-Abr District, a desert area in Hadramout near Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia.
"The drones directly hit the military base, leaving casualties among the troops," the official said, adding that the initial toll stood at three soldiers killed and 15 wounded.
"Some of the wounded are in serious condition," he said, noting that the casualty toll could rise.
The Nation Shield Forces are a relatively new military formation aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government and backed by Saudi Arabia. The forces have deployed in several southern and eastern provinces, including Hadramout.
There was no immediate comment from the Houthi group on the recent drone attack.
The Houthis have sharply intensified missile and drone attacks in recent weeks against government-held areas in Yemen and targets in neighboring Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the Yemeni government.
The group announced a maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping in July and has since claimed attacks on Saudi-linked oil tankers in the Red Sea as well as energy facilities inside the kingdom.
The Houthis said that their attacks on government forces were in response to what they described as Saudi-backed military buildups and mobilization in Yemen, while portraying strikes on Saudi territory as retaliation for what they called a blockade of Houthi-held areas.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government. ■
