Houthis facing wide isolation, trouble attracting recruits: Arab Coalition

RIYADH, 5th June, 2018 (WAM) -- The Arab Coalition in Support of Legitimacy in Yemen has said that the Iranian-backed Houthi militias are currently suffering from wide isolation and facing difficulty in enlisting recruits, a fact reflected in the great losses they sustained in the Yemeni districts of Al-Hodeidah and Saada. In a news conference held in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the official spokesman of the Arab Coalition Colonel Turki Al-Malki also drew attention to the illegal and non-humane practices of the Houthi militias, referencing their forcible recruitment of children, and attack on orphans in public homes. "Reports indicate that there are 200 children killed in action due to being recruited by the Houthis and used as human shields," he said, noting that around 70% of child recruits have surrendered to the Yemeni Resistance Forces. Al-Malki also highlighted the Coalition's comprehensive humanitarian operations in Yemen, including efforts to restore hope and support the legitimacy, as well as the distribution of meals and food baskets, and supporting national forces in the detonation of as many as 600 land mines implanted by the Houthis.