Yemen to merge resistance fighters with army

ADEN: Yemen’s government has issued an order for militiamen fighting alongside loyalist troops against Houthi terrorists to be merged into the armed forces, as clashes raged in the south.
The supreme defense council, which met in Riyadh, decided to “assimilate members of the Popular Resistance into the units of the armed forces and security forces,” the news agency said.
The meeting, headed by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, took the decision to reward them for their “brave contribution to defending the homeland.”
Popular Resistance units were formed when the Iran-backed Houthis and their allies advanced on southern regions after they had overrun the capital in September.
Clashes raged in the south, where pro-government forces expanded their area of control after recapturing the port of Aden after four months of fighting.
The loyalists pushed back rebels in Lahoum, on Aden’s northern outskirts, following heavy fighting, military sources said.
Saudi-led coalition warplanes carried out several raids in southern Yemen in support of the loyalist forces, military sources said.
The Lahoum area is on the road to Lahj, where loyalists have been tightening the noose on terrorists, with the aim of recapturing the strategic Al-Anad airbase.
According to President Hadi’s adviser, Maj. Gen. Jafaar Mohammed Saad, authorities are “working on implementing the decision in the fastest time possible” to integrate the Popular Resistance units.