Apr 12, 2015, SPA -- Brig. Gen. Ahmed bin Hasan Asiri, Consultant at the Minister of Defense's Office and Spokesman of the Coalition Forces, said that the military operations carried out by the coalition forces are continuing in a good pace, and achieving the desired goals.
In his daily press briefing held today at Riyadh Airbase, Brig. Gen. Asiri said that there is a significant interaction of Yemen's tribes with the Determination Storm which stands with the legitimacy, prai
sing the efforts of Shabwa and Abyan tribes and Lahj and Yafe tribes who declared their allegiance to the legitimacy and their full support of the Yemeni President. Asiri stressed that contact is being held with the tribes to coordinate their actions and provide the necessary support for them.
Asiri also said that the humanitarian work has become more organized in Yemen, where the Red Cross delivered three planes carrying relief materials, adding that coordination is being made with the Red Cross to facilitate its work in the region and to ensure the arrival of supplies.
Asiri explained that the air operations are continuing, focusing on the brigades and
Houthi gatherings inside the Yemeni army camps, and on the movements of Houthi militias, although they have decreased compared with the previous period. Work is being made to support the popular committees in Aden and the northern areas of Yemen, especially in Saada and the surroundings, in order to prevent the Houthi militia from taking advantage of military equipment and units as well as logistics bases.
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20:52 LOCAL TIME 17:52 GMT
He disclosed that the coalition forces were targeting energy stores to prevent the Houthi militias from using them as they managed to deny ordinary people access to them.
He added that the
coalition forces also targeted Brigade 310 in Sanaa, the equipment inventories sites, brigade 22 in Taiz, camps in Matra, affiliated to Razah region in addition to a big number of caves in which Houthi militias were taking refuge and storing military materials.
Asiri said the coalition forces have also targeted
some military concentrations in the south of Al-Hodeida as well as some sites inside Sa’ada airport which the Houthi militia tried to retake and use, noting that work is underway to target the stores, concentrations and caves located in mountainous regions around Aden.
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21:12 LOCAL TIME 18:12 GMT
On the situation in Aden, Asiri said that nothing is new regarding the military operations there, pointing out that what is happening
in Aden is Houthi 'Attack and Retreat' operations with moves by the Houthi militias in the City towards the north, but the resistance elements on the ground have foiled those moves. Currently, work is being made to prevent supply to Aden from outside and to deplete these militias so that they lose their ability to move and use ammunition.
Regarding the ground operations, Asiri said that the Houthi militias seek to move the fight to the borders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by dragging the Saudi armed forces to launch ground operations on a larger scale. Yesterday, they targeted
one of the border posts in Najran sector.
Artillery and Apache helicopters responded to the attack. As a result,
three soldiers of the Saudi Armed Forces martyred. Asiri pointed out that work is continuing on the border to prevent these elements from carrying out any act of hostility there. The Saudi forces take precautions
to spare citizens on the border of any damage, stressing that the Kingdom's borders are secure and stable, and will not be affected by such hostilities.
He reported that the coalition forces are implementing now a maritime ban at the request of the Yemeni government, stressing that
the coalition forces will not allow anyone to provide the rebel elements with any kind of supply, and that the coalition forces will apply the procedures in these cases.
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21:27 LOCAL TIME 18:27 GMT
Replying to reporters' questions about how to know the number of dead Houthis during the clashes on the southern border, the coalition spokesman Brigadier Asiri said that the statement was issued by the Ministry of Defence, noting that when there is a military operation on the border,
systems that identify the targets are used, in addition to the estimate of individuals or the number of trucks, adding that there are a lot of capabilities such as cameras, video and other devices such as Apache helicopters to gather information. He pointed out that the announcement released
yesterday only mentioned the toll at the borders and there are statistics relating to the artillery bombardment against militias' sites.
On the intention of building facilities that were used by the Houthis to store weapons after the end of the 'Determination Storm,' Brigadier Asiri said that the task of the coalition is to focus on the military action basically to make Yemen a safe country, noting that Yemen obtained support from the Arab Gulf States for a long time, and that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia invested billions of dollars in Yemen. He added that when the time comes for the reconstruction of Yemen, no one will hesitate to do this job for the sake of the Yemeni people.
On the credibility of Huthi militias' use of germ and chemical weapons, the coalition spokesman said
that the use of this type of weapons by the militias has not been proved to the coalition's command, but if used, it will be faced appropriately, arguing that the coalition forces do not rule out the militias' seeking to get these weapons.
On the clashes that occur on the Yemeni-Saudi border, Brigadier Asiri said that the
Huthi militias are trying to create a situation of insecurity on the border to undermine stability, explaining that the rugged nature of the Yemeni-Saudi border, and the closeness of villages between the two sides, could constitute a barrier to hitting the target when using artillery shells or mortar, which is being avoided by The 'Determination Storm' stressing that the Saudi border is safe and no one controls one centimeter of the border.
On the importance of finding a commander for the Popular Committees and tribes, Brigadier Asiri said that the unity of command is a prerequisite to military action, and the Yemeni government coordinates its work with the Popular Committees and with the tribal leaders, stressing that the command of the coalition provides them with information and logistical support creating a noticeable change on the ground.
On the fear of the coalition forces from a repeat of what happened in Libya after the Libyan government supported the Popular Committees and the forces of the tribes in Libya, Brigadier Asiri stressed that each case has its factors and nature, indicating that Operation Determination Storm has clear and necessary objectives and the coalition forces will work to achieve them.
About the possibility of opening the door to volunteers in the kingdom as it was done in Desert Storm, Brigadier Asiri confirmed that this issue concerns the Ministry of Defense, and that the troops deployed on the ground now are enough and correspond to the size of the existing threat hoping that the operations will end as soon as positive with positive results.
--SPA
23:23 LOCAL TIME 20:23 GMT
ON THE FRONT LINE: Col. Ibrahim Sharahili, commander of Al-Dayer sector, explains the topography to Mohammad Al-Hattar at the tense border. (Photos: Courtesy Okaz)
JAZAN: MOHAMMAD AL-HATTAR & MOHAMMAD AL-MALKI
Published — Sunday 12 April 2015
At just a stone’s throw away, you can see Yemen on the other side of the border facing the Shahdan Mountain in the Al-Dayer governorate. The Yemeni villagers whose homes are barely about 500 meters from the frontier look to the Border Guard for help.
“Save us from the Houthis,” they tell the Saudi soldiers.
Col. Ibrahim Sharahili commander of Al-Dayer sector, confirms that elderss of some Yemeni tribes have sought protection.
The roar of fighter jets and the sound of cannon fire echo on Mount Shahdan, reminding one that it is a war zone. Nevertheless, the Border Guard soldiers are seen valiantly protecting the borders. “Our brave soldiers fearlessly repulse attacks and force the enemy to retreat,” says Sharahili.
Notwithstanding threat to life from the Houthis, the rough terrain itself poses a big challenge. After a half-hour trek, we found ourselves next to the brave armed men on full alert under the leadership of First Lt. Abdulilah Al-Mutairi.
Sharahili says that this is one of the most dangerous areas of Al-Dayir.
The Harfiya point looks porous but the Saudi solders won’t let anybody sneak in. Three children with donkeys were quickly spotted and detained by the soldiers as they tried to cross the border.
Suleiman, one of the boys, said, “We rent donkeys for SR150 to SR200 for one trip; we don’t indulge in smuggling.”
At another location we found ourselves next to Yemeni homes whose owners said they will “fight with full force” if Houthis attack them.
Al-Dayer is a mountain range in Jazan and covers 80 km on the patrol path, and more than 96 km through checkpoints.
Members of the Saudi border guard and army's (APC) armoured personnel carrier patrol the Saudi-Yemeni border, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, in this April 9, 2015 photo. (AFP)
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