Sofian Khan

The Yemeni Army chief of staff has been injured by a landmine which blasted off while his visit at the northern Al-Jouf province, where government forces and Houthi fighters are engaged in a heavy fighting. The official said Brig. Gen. Taher al-Aqeeli suffered minor injuries from  the explosion that took place on Friday while his inspection of government positions in Khoob wa al-Shaaf, the largest district of the Al-Jouf province.Forces loyal to exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government captured most of the district in heavy fighting with the Houthis last month.Anti-Houthi militia, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have intensified an offensive against the Iran-aligned group that controls most of northern Yemen since former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed after he switched sides in Yemen’s nearly three-year-old civil war.The Houthis said Aqeeli and several of his aides were injured in the blast, describing Aqeeli’s injuries as serious.Hadi appointed Aqeeli last September, replacing Major General Mohammed al-Maqdeshi, who was appointed as a presidential adviser.