Yemen commander claims government winning civil war in which 10,000 have died

Speaking from recently captured ground on top of Mount Nmeh, General Nasser al Dhaybani said his troops are moving closer to the capital Sana'a "every day" and will retake it "as soon as the conditions are right".

He described controversial Saudi airstrikes as "excellent" and "helpful" but said he did not want to destroy the city because "there are two million civilians there and they are also Yemenis".

"Instead we are taking the mountains around it," he said.
The officer's optimism is at odds with a conflict that has reached a grim stalemate in many areas and will enter its fourth year next month.

The frontline has been relatively static, taking months to move only a few miles. At some points, the two sides are so close they can shout insults at one another.

The rebel Houthis have controlled Sana'a since September 2014.

Since then, 10,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the war, many of them civilians.

More than 20 million have been displaced from their homes as a result of the fighting, and a cholera and diphtheria epidemic is sweeping the country.

Aid agencies estimate as many as eight million people are hovering on the brink of starvation.

The Houthis have recently fired Iranian-supplied ballistic missiles at neighbouring Saudi Arabia - with one landing close to Riyadh's main commercial airport.

Saudi Arabia responded by re-imposing a naval and air blockade which has prevented vital food and medical supplies from reaching those in need.

Source: from Sky news