Gulf-backed Yemeni forces seize city from al Qaeda - source

Yemeni forces backed by Apache helicopters from a Saudi-led coalition wrested the city of Houta from al Qaeda fighters after a gun battle on Friday morning, a local military official said. Government troops began their attack at daybreak and succeeded after several hours of air strikes and heavy combat, the military official told Reuters. "The campaign to control Houta has been completed and it has been cleansed of al Qaeda and extremist elements," he said.