Houthi commander Abu Malik Al-Awir and several associates were killed in recent clashes in Yemen's southwestern Taiz province. Field sources reported that Mohammed Abdullah Saad Jallafah Al-Awir was killed on Monday along with several Houthi militia fighters by government forces near Mount Jardad in the Al-Waziyah district, west of Taiz. Al-Awir, who held the rank of colonel, previously served as the security director for the Al-Aden district in Ibb province. The Houthi militia recently deployed him to the Taiz fronts, which have seen continuous confrontations since their latest escalation in the western coast. Originally from Saada province in northern Yemen, Al-Awir held various security and field positions within the Houthi militia over the past years. He had participated in numerous battles on fronts including Marib, Taiz, and Dhale before being moved to the western Taiz front. Al-Awir's death follows the recent killings of three other Houthi leaders: Abu Jihad Alawi, who held the rank of major general and was appointed commander of the so-called Hashid axis; Saddam Ghallab, also known as Abu Attan, who served in several security roles including security director for the Houth and Bani Suraim districts in Amran province, and was killed in the Kahbob front; and Faraj Mohsen Al-Asar, known as Abu Saqr Al-Qafar, who died with a group of militia elements in the Kahbob front two days prior, according to informed sources. Over the past few days, intense fighting has escalated on the western Taiz fronts and the strategic Kahbob front, with Houthi attempts to advance. Field sources indicate that these confrontations have resulted in hundreds of casualties, predominantly from the Iranian-backed militia. |
