A/HRC/42/CRP.1 Houthi-Saleh fighters gained territorial control over key areas in Aden and Lahij. These areas were mainly previously controlled by the network of fighters loyal to former President Saleh who relinquished control, in some areas, without a fight. On 19 March 2015, area residents looted the Special Security Forces’ central camp in Aden after its commander, loyal to former President Saleh, fled to Ta’izz and the soldiers reporting to him had abandoned the camp. After a few days, forces from the 31 st Brigade and the 39th Brigade, whose commanders were loyal to former President Saleh, abandoned their posts and returned to their places of residence, leaving an open path for Houthi-Saleh fighters. On 25 March, as Houthi-Saleh fighters took control of the Aden International Airport, President Hadi fled from Aden, taking refuge in Saudi Arabia. Hours later, the Saudi-led coalition officially started the air campaign that remained ongoing at the time of this report. 126. Colonel Abdul Latif al-Sayyad, the head of the Government of Yemen-aligned Abyan “Popular Committees” fighting AQAP at the time, assembled and commanded a 3,000-strong force that coordinated with Yemeni armed forces officers to defend the north of Aden and Abyan against Houthi-Saleh fighters as they advanced towards the city. As the fighting reached Aden city, residents joined the battle in defence of their neighbourhoods. Adeeb Mohammad Saleh al-‘Aissi, leader of the forces that came to be known as the “Resistance”, commanded fighters in Dar Sa’ad, Basateen and Bir Fadhel areas. Civilians were caught in the middle of the fighting in Aden city, suffering from the effects of the use of weapons with wide area impact in densely populated urban areas. When the Battle of Aden ended, in late July 2015, the anti-Houthi Resistance managed to force the retreat of the Houthi-Saleh fighters. The anti-Houthi Resistance was composed of Yemeni armed forces loyal to President Hadi and loosely organised armed groups, which included members of the separatist Southern Movement and Salafists.97 These groups were supported by the coalition, including with airstrikes. 2. Violations and Alleged Crimes 127. During the fighting, at least 356 structures were destroyed in the city, 202 severely damaged, and 270 moderately damaged.98 According to OCHA99, as of 10 July 2015, 783 97 See Annex I for additional information. UNITAR-UNOSAT, Damage Assessment of Aden, 21 August 2015, available at: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/UNOSAT_A3_Landscape_Aden_20150821.pdf 99 OCHA, Yemen: Humanitarian Emergency Situation Report No. 16, 20 July 2015 98 29