Agence France-Presse: The giants crushed the Houthi rebels after they were showing off their strength
English - Saturday 05 February 2022 الساعة 08:05 am
NewsYemen, translation:
The French Press Agency shed light on the Giants Brigades, after the recent shift made by these forces in the balance of fighting in Yemen and crushing the Houthis after they were bragging about their strength.
In a report, the agency said that the name of the "Giant Brigades" backed by the UAE, a member of the Saudi-led military coalition, emerged as a party that inflicted losses on the Houthi rebels and halted their advance in a major combat area.
It pointed out that the advance of the "Giant Brigades" in the oil-rich Shabwa governorate and the adjacent Marib governorate from the north last month, was a major reason for the Houthis attacking the UAE three times, which opened a new front in the Yemeni war.
It stated that the "giants" were able to change the scales of fighting in Yemen and crush the rebels after Al-Houthi flaunted his strength, noting that this force (giants) is a major player in the war that has been going on since 2014.
Founding
The "Giant Brigades" forces were established in 2015 in the West Coast region, months after the start of coalition operations against the Houthis in Yemen in March of the same year. This force included thousands of fighters who rushed to join its ranks to stop the advance of the rebels in their areas.
The UAE, a member of the military alliance, is behind the re-emergence of this force, as it has financed, trained and armed it, to the point that it made it one of the most prominent arms of the "security belt" forces charged with protecting the southern regions.
The agency quoted an official in the Giants Forces as saying, "The Emirati support is a great military support," noting that the UAE forces "supported the Giants in establishing and supported them with weapons, salaries, air and ground support in their military operations."
The force possesses tanks, military vehicles, heavy artillery and other weapons.
from the coast
The operations of the "Giant Brigades" forces, consisting of 15 brigades and more than 30,000 fighters, according to Yemeni military sources, were concentrated in the west of the country, at a 300-kilometer coastal strip, from Bab al-Mandeb to Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast.
After it helped expel the Houthis from several southern regions in 2015 and 2016, it led a campaign in 2018 aimed at controlling the city of Hodeidah, which includes a major port that is a lifeline for millions of Yemenis.
The attacking forces succeeded in storming the outskirts of the city from the east and south, but they stopped advancing after reaching a truce agreement with the Houthis.
On December 27, the "Giant Brigades" announced that it had sent military forces towards Shabwa governorate with the aim of "liberating the districts that fell into the hands of the Houthi militia", before announcing their restoration two weeks later.
It also expelled the Houthis from a district in the south of Marib governorate, where fierce battles have been going on for months between pro-government forces and the rebels who were advancing to control the city of Ma'rib, the center of the governorate, and thus took control of the entire north of Yemen.
The official said, "The giants were able to change the balance of fighting by liberating the districts of Bayhan and Harib and defeating the Houthis, after the Houthis were bragging about their strength."
Deterrent factor
Ahmed Naji, a researcher at the Beirut-based Malcolm Care Center, Ahmed Naji, believes that the "Giant Brigades" are considered the most "disciplined" forces within the coalition framework, adding, "Their good relationship with the coalition leadership (...) gave them the ability to succeed in many operations. the military in which it participated.
According to Naji, the entry of these brigades into the battle in Marib is "a new pressure tool used by the coalition."
Last Friday, the brigades announced their withdrawal from Shabwa governorate, after saying that they had "completed their mission", before explaining at a later time that they had kept forces on the main fronts and had begun "building defensive fortifications to repel any military attacks by the Houthis."
"Whether these forces continue their military operations (...) in Marib or not, their capacity and equipment will remain a deterrent against the Houthis and impose new rules of engagement on them," Naji said, according to Agence France-Presse.
