Gunmen kill 20 Ansarullah fighters in southern Yemen

A group of unknown gunmen has killed at least 20 Ansarullah fighters belonging to Houthi movement during an ambush in southern Yemen, security sources say.

Unknown gunmen ambushed the convoy of Ansarullah fighters in the Wahat region located between Aden and Lahij provinces on Friday, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Local sources say the armed men used light and medium weapons during the deadly assault.

No group has claimed responsibility for the fatal ambush, but the attack bore the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and other militant groups currently operating across Yemen.

Over the past months, al-Qaeda militants have frequently carried out attacks on Yemen’s security forces and have been also locked in deadly battles with Ansarullah fighters.

Ansarullah fighters, however, have intervened to fill the vacuum in absence of any central government, and have driven al-Qaeda militants out of many areas in the country.

On Thursday, Saudi Arabia started conducting airstrikes against Houthi fighters in Yemen and continued the bombings on Friday. Scores of people have been killed in the attacks.

Saudi airstrikes against the impoverished Arab country have drawn condemnation from many countries, including Iran, Iraq and Russia, as well as the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah.