Yemeni government forces made gains around the Red Sea coastal town of Mokha in heavy fighting overnight as they rebuffed a rebel counter-offensive, a military source said yesterday. Seven loyalist troops and 16 rebels were killed in the fighting, hospital sources said. Twelve soldiers and 28 rebels were wounded.
Government forces captured Yakhtul, 14km north of Mokha, and Jabal Al Nar, 10km to the east, consolidating their grip on the town they overran on February 10, the military source said.
Twelve rebels were taken prisoner. On Tuesday, government forces had suffered a major setback in the offensive they launched in January to try to recapture Yemen's 450km Red Sea coastline, which had previously been almost entirely in rebel hands.
