ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni government forces announced Friday killing 34 Houthi militants in the ongoing fighting over the control of the country's northeastern province of Marib.

A brief statement released by the Ministry of Defence said "34 members of the Houthi militia were killed, and others were injured, by the army forces in the fighting in Marib's western areas."

The ministry said that the artillery of the government army targeted barracks and vehicles of the Houthi militia, "inflicting great human and material losses on them."

It pointed out that intense armed confrontations are still taking place in several fronts of the oil-rich province.

Warplanes of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombed Houthi militia sites and gatherings in other areas on Marib's outskirts, according to the statement.

No information, however, was given about casualties among the government forces.

The clashes erupted early this month as the Houthis tried to advance towards Marib. Dozens were either killed or injured from both sides in the non-stop armed confrontations in Marib amid heavy airstrikes carried out by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.

Escalation of fighting between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia has displaced nearly 1,500 families from Marib's western areas so far.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni military conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Enditem

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