SANA, Yemen — Yemen’s anti-rebel fighters said Saturday they took over the capital of southern Shabwah province, as officials close to the Iran-allied rebels confirmed they withdrew after coming under attack.
Groups fighting the rebels known as Houthis are consolidating their control over the province after taking the capital, Ataq, anti-rebel security officials said.
The Saudi-led coalition also fighting the Houthis has been sending heavy ground weaponry, including tanks and armored vehicles, to anti-rebel forces at a Shabwah seaport the past four days, security officials said.
Security officials close to the Houthis said the withdrawal was a tactical move, without elaborating.
Witnesses in Ataq said they heard explosions early Saturday as anti-Houthi forces began to claim the town. Government buildings were looted after the Houthi withdrawal, witnesses said.
Jubilant crowds welcomed the anti-Houthi forces in Ataq, firing weapons into the air, resident Hisham Nasser said.
At least 200 Saudi-trained Yemeni troops in full military gear joined the anti-rebel forces Saturday in Ataq, coming into Yemen by land through the al-Wadia border crossing, according to security officials.
The Yemen conflict escalated in March when a Saudi-led, American-supported coalition began launching airstrikes against the Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies — troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
