Yemen's pro-government forces announced Monday the killing of a Houthi military commander in the country's southwestern province of Taiz.

In a brief statement, the pro-government forces said that their soldiers killed "Ali Abdul-Razzaq Sharia, known as Abu Zaid who was leading the 17th Infantry Brigade of the Houthis in Taiz."

The statement stated that the Houthi commander was killed in an armed ambush set up by the government soldiers in the western part of Taiz.

No information, however, was given about casualties among the soldiers of the government during the exchange of fire with the Houthis.

The city center of Taiz is currently under the control of the Yemeni government, while the outskirts of the city and areas in the countryside of the province are still witnessing armed confrontations between pro-government forces and the Houthi rebels.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa.