Apr 13, 2015, SPA -- Brig. Gen. Ahmed bin Hasan Asiri, Consultant at the Minister of Defense's Office and Spokesman of the Coalition Forces, said that a large part of the goals set by the coalition forces have been achieved, and the coalition operations are going as planned.
In his daily press briefing held today at Riyadh Airbase, Asiri said that the last period has seen continuous movements of Houthi militia trying to move logistics towards Aden. Therefore, the coalition forces aimed to isolate Aden from such type of supply, and to end the movements of Houthi militias on the roads leading to Aden.
Asiri pointed out that the Houthi militias were forced to move off-road and in valleys. Therefore, their movement has become slow and they are prone to coalition forces strikes. Moreover, they were ambushed by the People's Committees and tribesmen, and as a result, their movements on the ground have become more difficult.
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20:23 LOCAL TIME 17:23 GMT
He stated that air operations of the coalition continued to target the stores of machineries, ammunition and military equipment as well as Houthi militias in Saada, Omran and Sanaa.
He added that the Houthi militias managed to exploit schools, hospitals and sports grounds to store equipment and machineries, noting that the coalition forces have targeted a playground in the city of Aden and another one in Ebb Province which contain big amount of ammunition and equipment.
He confirmed the keenness of the coalition forces to keep the infrastructure of Yemen intact and at the same time not allow the Houthi militias to benefit from using them in military activities.
He pointed out to the coalition forces also continued to target caves in Sanaa and Saada to make sure that the Houthi militias are not using them to store ammunition and equipment or as group assembling centers.
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20:40 LOCAL TIME 17:40 GMT
Asiri explained that airstrikes by coalition forces have reached 120 sorties, noting that the forces are capable to augment this number but are keen to pinpoint and hit their targets.
He pointed that the bad deteriorating psychological state of the Houthi militias is forcing them to attack citizens as they are lacking any ground target. Work of the coalition forces is now focusing on damaging tunnels and concentration centers of Houthis around Aden, leaving them as vulnerable targets for our airstrikes, isolated and cut off and having no other choice but to surrender to the popular committees or the legitimate local authorities, he said.
He said Sanaa and its surroundings, machineries concentrations in Maareb Province and some districts in Aden are still subject to coalition forces airstrikes.
Brig. Gen. Asiri said great efforts are being exerted to orchestrate relief work heading for Aden and Sanaa as well as all-Yemen to guarantee its delivery to the Yemeni needy citizens, noting that the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders are continuing relief deliveries to capital Sanaa, a step which will improve the performance of hospitals and provision of medical services to Yemeni citizens, he added.
On the land operations, Asiri said matters go smoothly at all the southern border of the Kingdom. However, there are few skirmishes being launched by the Houthi militias using mortar shots towards border posts, particularly in Najran sector, whereas the Saudi land forces managed to deal with them accordingly and remain keen to respond to the sources of fire and evade shelling residential areas where many citizens who have nothing to do with the war are residing.
Naval ban operations are continuing to check all vessels heading for or coming from all Yemeni ports, he said, citing the arrival yesterday of a vessel affiliated to the Russian government to evacuate some of their dependants in the port of Aden. He pointed that work is continuing to coordinate evacuation and relief works for all dependants available there through an ad hoc committee while humanitarian relief work is continuing at Yemeni ports.
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21:28 LOCAL TIME 18:28 GMT
In response to a question on the attempt by Houthi militias and Saleh troops to transfer the struggle with the Kingdom to the media bench, Asiri said this trend has never ceased since the beginning of the operations whereas they managed to use different means of media to spread lies and exaggerated news. He cited that the media has, over the last few days, quoted the Houthi militia as reporting that they have occupied 30 Saudi villages. The media is now available at the border along Jazan sector, he said, adding that tomorrow their representatives will be at Najran sector to see the real situation.
He noted that the pressure mounted by the coalition forces on the Houthi ground militias in Saada and the surroundings made them opt to try to expand their operation zone along the Saudi border, but in vain, as those operations are limited and desperate, due, also, to the firm and forceful response of the border guard troops.
Asked to estimate the size of skirmishes along the Kingdom's border, Asiri said there are one or two elements who are using mortar-80 from a hidden site on a mountain, using hit and hide tactic. Responding to the source of fire by our forces is suffice, he said, adding that whenever it is time to launch the land attack according to the plan, and not in response to the Houthi dragging tactics, our forces are going to do it.
I avail myself of this opportunity to call on the Yemenis and commanders of military units, officers and troops who now became certain of the wrong way of anti-legitimacy in Yemen to return to their commanders and army to, again, sincerely defend their land and citizens against the Houthi militias, he said, adding that he refers the matter of bringing them before justice or holding them accountable to the Yemeni legitimate government.
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22:10 LOCAL TIME 19:10 GMT