Sanaa, Feb 25 (IANS/EFE): Houthi Shia militias took control Wednesday of a military base belonging to the special forces of the Yemeni army following a battle in which at least 10 fighters from both sides were killed, a military source told Efe news agency.
After more than eight hours of fighting, the militants managed to break into the heavily-guarded base, located in the al-Sabbaha area six miles west of the Yemeni capital.
The Houthis used tanks and artillery fire to storm the military complex.
Although the Shia rebel group took over the headquarters of the police and army in Sanaa in September, the special forces bases outside the capital remained loyal to former president Ali Abdallah Saleh who stepped down in 2012.
The Houthis forced his successor, President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, and his cabinet to resign after taking control of Sanaa in January, triggering a political and military crisis.