Aden, Dhu-AlHijjah 16, 1439, August 27, 2018, SPA -- The Yemeni army re-captured today strategic sites in Mawiya directorate, eastern Taiz province, in central Yemen, it was reported here. In a statement, the Yemeni news agency quoted a military source as saying that the Yemeni army forces were able to liberate a number of strategic sites in Mawiya directorate, reaching Al-Hashm zone, the directorate's second city, following re-capturing Thamran heights and Hawamrah area, two strategic areas parallel to Karsh from the south and Mawiya from north. During the fierce battle, the Iran-backed Houthi militias sustained great losses with tens left killed or injured while others opted to flee the field towards southern parts of Mawiya directorate, the source reported. He drew the attention that capturing Al-Hashm zone comes as part of a military operation aiming to liberate the entire Mawiya directorate. --SPA 21:23 LOCAL TIME 18:23 GMT 0023 www.spa.gov.sa/w739355