Coalition raid kills Houthi commander in western Yemen

By Shukri Hussein

ADEN, Yemen

A Houthi commander was killed in a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Yemen’s western Hudaydah province on Tuesday, according to a government official.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, identified the leader as Abdul Karim Amir al-Din al-Houthi, a relative of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Shia group, which overran much of Yemen in 2014.

The Houthi group has yet to confirm the killing.

Amir al-Din is on a Saudi list of 40 Houthi “terrorists” wanted by the oil-rich kingdom.

According to sources close to the Houthi group, Amir al-Din is considered a “hardliner” in the rebel movement.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and several Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi military gains in war-torn Yemen.