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                Exiled Yemen VP: Saudi-Backed Troops Retake Aden

   by VOA News

   The vice president of Yemen's exiled government said Saudi-backed
   troops have recaptured the southern port city of Aden from Shi'ite
   rebels.

   Fighters loyal to the exiled government launched a major offensive this
   week against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Aden, Yemen's
   second-largest city.

   "The government announces the liberation of the province of Aden on the
   first day of Eid al-Fitr," said Vice President Khaled Bahah via
   Facebook Friday.

   The Houthis seized Aden in March, forcing the government of President
   Abd-Rabu Mansour Hadi to seek refuge in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

   A Saudi-led coalition of Arab states has since carried out three months
   of devastating air strikes on the Houthis, helping lead to a major
   humanitarian crisis.

   Humanitarian cost

   At least 3,500 people have been killed in the fighting. More than 20
   million people - about 80 percent of Yemen's population - now need some
   form of food aid.

   U.N.-backed peace talks have failed to come up with a resolution to the
   conflict, which began late last year when the Houthis, along with
   fighters loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, took over the
   capital, Sana'a.

   An "unconditional humanitarian pause" announced by the U.N. earlier
   this month failed to take hold. Both sides in the conflict have blamed
   each other for not taking peace efforts seriously.

   Aden, which sits near the crucial Bab al-Mandab shipping lane, has been
   a major center of the fighting. Large portions of the city have been
   destroyed.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/exiled-yemen-vp-saudi-backed-troops-r
   etake-aden/2866160.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/exiled-yemen-vp-saudi-backed-troops-retake-aden/2866160.html