Yemeni special forces opposed to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi battled loyalist militia in his southern power base Aden on Thursday leaving five people dead and forcing the international airport to close.
The heavily armed troops, who are allied with Shiite militia in control of the capital Sanaa, advanced inside the airport perimeter but the Hadi loyalists managed to secure the runway, security sources said.
Fighting also erupted in other parts of the port city, including outside the Aden branch of Yemen’s central bank, as special forces commander Abdel Hafez al-Saqqaf deployed his men at points around the city during the night.
Three special forces troops were killed and six wounded in the fighting, sources close to Saqqaf said. Two Hadi loyalists were killed and seven wounded, the militia said. Travellers arriving at the international airport early Thursday were told to turn back because of the fighting. “I could not move,” one told AFP, saying that access to the airport was blocked by armed men.
Witnesses said that the airport control tower came under fire. Hadi fled to Aden last month after escaping from house arrest by the Shiite militia who control the capital, and sought to reestablish his authority in the southern port city.