Yemen: Landmine explosion injures 15, Houthis claim responsibility

A massive landmine explosion in Hodeidah city of Yemen injured 15 citizens on September 13. The incident took place in Al Khawkhah district in Yemen's Red Sea Port. The blast was claimed by the local Houthi militia.

According to government officials, the "Landmine (that was) previously laid by the Houthi militia struck a vehicle with 15 people on board, including women and children in Hodeidah." The blast also partially destroyed the vehicle. Following the detonation, local residents rushed to the site to help the victims. Pro-government soldiers also reached the site and extended support to transfer the blast victims to the nearest hospitals. No deaths have been reported as of now. As per reports, Houthi-laid landmine explosions are common occurrences in Yemen.

Houthi attacks in Yemen in 2021

In May 2021, three women were killed in a landmine explosion in the Red Sea Port area. The women were carrying a herd of sheep near the agricultural land when they were blown by the Houthi-laid landmine in the Hays district in southern Hodeidah, Xinhua News Agency quoted government officials as saying.

Another explosion in July 2021 struck a bus in the Durayhmi district of Hodeidah. The massive blast killed four passengers and injured 15 others. Local rescuers moved the blast victims to the nearby hospital. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed militia also fired shells randomly in the southern Hodeidah districts that destroyed many residential regions and injured many citizens.

In another incident in February 2021, Houthi rebels targetted an airport in Southwestern Saudi Arabia. The attack caused a civilian plane on the tarmac to blow up. In November 2020, a landmine explosion in a residential block in Yemen's Hodeidah killed three civilians. Additionally, the Houthi rebel also launched four rockets aiming at residential blocks in the southern districts.

Yemen-Houthi Conflict

The Yemen-Houthi Conflict began in September 2014, when the Iran-backed militia seized the capital city of Sanaa. The rebel group toppled President Abed Rabbi Mansour Hadi's government and formed the Supreme Political Council along with its allied forces supported by the former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Following the annexure, Yemen's recognised government backed by Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) engaged in war with the rebel group since March 2015. The battle forced the last President Hadi to flee the country to Saudi Arabia.

Houthi militants claimed to have fired a ballistic missile at Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh in May 2017. In December 2017, the Houthis killed former support Saleh, indicating he wished to switch sides. In January 2021, former US State Secretary Mike Pompeo proposed to declare the Houthis as a "Foreign terrorist organisation." However, the Biden administration after a month in the White House withdrew arms backing to UAE and Saudi Arabia and called for a ceasefire. The State Department also said that it would revoke Houthi's "terrorist group tag."

A series of strikes and counterstrikes since 2015, has killed thousands of civilians and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine and humanitarian crisis. The shaky cease-fire to end Yemen's civil war has been under the debris of truce breaches and sporadic military escalation by both sides.

(With inputs from AP and ANI, Image: Shutterstock/Representative)