Houthis facing trouble attracting recruits: Arab Coalition

Riyadh, June 5 (IANS/WAM) The Arab Coalition has said that the Shia Houthi militias in Yemen were facing difficulty in enlisting recruits due to losses they sustained in the districts of Al-Hodeidah and Saada.

In a news conference held here on Monday, the official spokesman of the Arab Coalition Colonel Turki Al-Malki also drew attention to the illegal and non-humane practices of the Houthi militias, referring to their forcible recruitment of children and attacks on orphans in public homes.

"Reports indicate that there are 200 children killed in action due to being recruited by the Houthis and used as human shields," he said, noting that around 70 per cent of child recruits have surrendered to the Yemeni Resistance Forces.

Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition against the Houthis in support of the Yemeni exiled government over the last three years.