Military engineering teams continued sweeping the Bab al-Mandab area and clearing mines and explosive devices on Friday 9 October 2026, according to a military source, as part of ongoing security operations in the area following clashes on the western coast of Taiz governorate.
Engineering teams secure Bab al-Mandab
The engineering teams are inspecting areas targeted in the sweep and dealing with any mines and explosive devices found, as part of field measures to secure sites and roads in the Bab al-Mandab area. The explosive-clearance operations come four days after Yemen’s government forces announced that they had taken control of Bab al-Mandab and Dhu Bab Airport, following a military operation carried out by the National Shield Forces and Giants Brigades, with support from the popular resistance, against positions and movements belonging to the Houthi group.
A military source said on 5 October that the forces taking part in the operation had advanced into Dhu Bab district and taken control of sites he described as important, while cutting supply lines and roads leading to Bab al-Mandab. He added that the forces had subsequently begun sweeping the sites and areas they had taken control of and strengthening their field deployment.
Majid al-Nazili explains the course of the operation
The spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Colonel Majid al-Nazili, said that control of Bab al-Mandab and Dhu Bab Airport came after an operation to outflank Houthi positions. He explained that the Giants Brigades and National Shield Forces had conducted the operation as part of a military move named “Yemen’s Dawn”. Al-Nazili added that the forces had cut the road linking Dhu Bab and Mokha and established fire control over it.
He said that hundreds of Houthi fighters had been besieged in the Dhu Bab area, calling on them to surrender, while noting that some fighters had fled by sea in boats.
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced on 4 October the start of military operations to retake areas under Houthi control and extend the authority of state institutions over them, ordering the armed forces, security agencies and military formations to carry out the assigned tasks in line with approved plans.
