Siege of Taiz

Siege of Taiz
Part of the Yemeni Civil War and the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen

Aerial view of the city of Taiz
Date15 April 2015 - present
Location
Taiz Governorate, Yemen
13°35′N 44°01′E / 13.58°N 44.02°E / 13.58; 44.02
Status

Ongoing

  • Ceasefire enforced from 11–17 April 2016; Broken on 18 April 2016.
  • Houthis capture Southern Taiz[7]
  • Houthis cut off supply routes between Taiz and Aden.[8]
  • Loyalists retake Mokha and the western Taiz Governorate during Operation Golden Arrow.
  • Loyalists begin new offensive in late January 2020
Belligerents

Yemen Supreme Revolutionary Committee/Supreme Political Council

Yemen Cabinet of Yemen

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula[6]

Commanders and leaders
Abdu Al Janadi (Houthi Governor of Taiz)
Ameen Haydan † (Houthi Deputy Governor of Taiz)
Abu Ali Hakim Abdullah al-Houthi (Houthi field commander)
Abu Bassam † (Field commander)		 Yemen Major General Ahmed Saif Al Yafei †[9] (Yemeni Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff)
Yemen Ali al-Maamari (Taiz governor-in-exile)
Yemen Rashad al-Akahali[10] (Taiz deputy governor-on-exile)
Yemen Major General Khalid Fadhel (Commander of Taiz military region)
Yemen Mayor Tariq Al-Himiari  †[11]
(Islah militia leader)
Yemen Sheikh Hamoud al-Mikhlafi (Popular Resistance commander)
Yemen Dhia Al Haq (Popular resistance leader in Taiz)
Yemen Major-General Mohamed al-Awni † (local pro-Hadi commander)[12]
Abu al-Abbas (Leader of the Abu al-Abbas brigade)[1]
Saudi Arabia Col. Abdullah al-Sahyan †[13]
(Saudi Special Forces commander)
United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ali al-Kitbi †[13]
(Special forces officer)		 Qasim al-Raymi †
Abu al-Zubair al-Adani †[14]
Karim Sarhan †[15]
Strength
More than 30,000[16] Pro-government forces: 10,000 to 15,000
Salafist militias: 500 members[17]		 Unknown
Casualties and losses
18,400 killed[18]
29,858 people displaced (in Taiz city only)[19]
Siege of Taiz is located in Yemen
Siege of Taiz
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Location within Yemen

The siege of Taiz[20][21] is an ongoing, protracted military confrontation between opposing Yemeni forces in the city of Taiz for control of the city and surrounding area. The battle began one month after the start of the Yemeni Civil War.

  1. ^ a b Penniless Yemeni fighters desert front in droves as Hadi fails to pay up Middle East Eye
  2. ^ Mazzetti, Mark; Kirkpatrick, David D. (25 March 2015). "Saudi Arabia Begins Air Assault in Yemen". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  3. ^ Felicia Schwartz, Hakim Almasmari and Asa Fitch (26 March 2015). "Saudi Arabia Launches Military Operations in Yemen". WSJ. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Egypt, Jordan and Sudan ready for ground offensive in Yemen: report". the globe and mail. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. ^ "Saudi Arabia launches airstrikes in Yemen". CNN. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Yemen conflict: Al-Qaeda seen at coalition battle for Taiz". BBC News. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Yemen's Houthis overrun southern Taiz: Pro-govt source". Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Houthi militias cut off last supply route to Taiz". 17 August 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Deputy chief of staff of Yemen's armed forces killed in Houthi missile attack". Xinhua. 22 February 2017.
  10. ^ "HRC warns against humanitarian disaster in Taiz". Al-Sahwah.Net. 17 March 2017.
  11. ^ "High-ranking mercenary commander killed by Yemeni forces in Taiz". Hodhod News. 25 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Pro-Hadi commander killed in Yemen's Taiz: Local sources".
  13. ^ a b Two top Gulf commanders killed in Yemen rocket strike - sources. Reuters. Published 14 December 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  14. ^ "Al-Qaeda leader killed during the fighting in Taiz" (in Arabic). Ibb Press. 17 November 2015.
  15. ^ "Al-Qaeda senior leader Karim Sarhan killed in the clashes with security forces in Taiz". Yemen Press. 5 February 2017.
  16. ^ "Fighting rages in Taez province amid major offensive to drive out 30,000 rebels". The National. 30 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Yemen's Taiz sinks into the abyss as Salafis fight war of revenge". Middle East Eye.
  18. ^ "Database says 91,600 killed in Yemen fighting since 2015". Associated Press. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020 – via Reuters.
  19. ^ "Rights group: 29,858 displaced people in Taiz". 2 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  20. ^ War Clashes (22 November 2016). "Yemen War 2016 - Popular Committees in Heavy Urban Clashes in Battle of Taiz". Retrieved 14 June 2017 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ AP Archive (25 August 2016). "Taiz - Houthi fighters battle militia in Yemen city - Editor's Pick - 18 August 16". Retrieved 14 June 2017 – via YouTube.