Saudi-backed forces recapture Hadramawt and Mahra provinces from UAE-backed separatists, with at least 80 STC fighters killed in recent clashes and airstrikes.
ADEN: At least 80 troops from Yemen’s secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) have been killed in fighting and airstrikes since Friday.
A military official from the UAE-backed group said the preliminary toll also includes 152 wounded and 130 taken captive.
Most casualties occurred in Saudi-led coalition strikes targeting STC military camps in Hadramawt province.
Saudi-backed forces began operations on Friday to retake territory seized by the STC in a recent offensive.
Yemen’s presidency announced the recapture of resource-rich Hadramawt province on Saturday following an STC retreat.
Authorities in neighbouring Mahra province also switched allegiance back to the Riyadh-aligned government without resistance.
On Sunday, Saudi-backed forces were consolidating positions in Mukalla, the capital of Hadramawt.
The struggle for dominance between forces backed by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi has deepened a rift between the Gulf allies.
A December offensive by the STC, in which it took control of Hadramawt and Mahra, angered Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led coalition issued repeated warnings and conducted airstrikes over the past week.
One strike targeted an alleged Emirati arms shipment to the separatists.
A Friday strike on the Al-Khasha military camp left 20 dead, according to an earlier separatist toll.
Saudi warplanes also carried out intense air strikes on another STC camp at Barshid on Saturday.
