ADEN, Yemen, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Forces loyal to Yemen's government managed to capture key areas from the Houthi militia in the country's southern province of Dhalea on Monday, a government official told Xinhua.

Following two days of intense battles, the pro-government forces registered crucial wins and captured a number of villages from the Houthis' grip in Dhalea's northwestern parts, the local official said on condition of anonymity.

The pro-government forces killed nearly 23 members of the Houthi militia group in the battles that are still occurring sporadically in Dhalea fronts, the source said.

No information was given about casualties among the pro-government soldiers during the military campaign that drove the Houthis out from Dhalea's villages.

But medical sources confirmed to Xinhua that about 10 soldiers of the pro-government southern forces were killed by the Houthi militia.

Meanwhile, the Houthis-affiliated Masirah television network reported that their fighters repulsed an offensive of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces towards the Qataba district of Dhalea.

It said that "dozens of aggression mercenaries (pro-government forces) were killed after aborting their large offensive against the rural areas in Dhalea."

In 2019, the Iran-allied Houthi fighters launched a series of intense armed attacks on the positions of the Yemeni government forces and succeeded in seizing key areas on the outskirts of Dhalea.

The areas in the north and west of Dhalea have been witnessing non-stop fighting between government forces and Houthi fighters for about five years.

Yemen has been plagued by a civil war since late 2014 when Houthi militias forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile. Enditem

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