SANAA

Six Houthi rebels were killed Tuesday in clashes with government forces in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province, according to a Yemeni military commander. 

Houthi militants attacked three military positions in al-Quhayfah district in the province and temporarily seized them, triggering clashes with army forces, Col. Hamid al-Khlidi, told Anadolu Agency.

He said government forces managed to recapture two positions, while trying to seize control of the third.

There was no comment from the Shia Houthi group on the claim.

Yemen has been wracked by civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa, forcing the Saudi-backed government to set up an interim capital in the coastal city of Aden.

The conflict escalated one year later when a Saudi-led coalition began a wide-ranging military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

Reporting by Mohamed al-Samei; Writing by Mahmoud Barakat