SANAA, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday said they have arrested dozens of "Sudanese soldiers" who fought for the Saudi-led coalition forces against the Houthi fighters in the Yemeni war-torn Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

"Dozens of Sudanese soldiers were arrested and some others were killed while they were fighting for the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen and the Yemeni people in Hodeidah," Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said in a statement carried by his group-run Al Masirah satellite TV channel.

Abdulsalam urged the "Sudan's government" to withdraw its troops from the Yemeni territories, describing the killed as "victims of Khartoum's decision of fighting for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen."

Meanwhile, the channel aired footage showing dozens of alleged "Sudanese soldiers," some of whom were wounded, when the Houthi rebels captured them.

The channel did not specify the number of the killed or arrested, but said the arrest took place during the past two days' battles in the south of Hodeidah port city.

Sudan sent hundreds of its troops to back the Gulf Arab alliance in their fighting against the Houthi rebels in Yemen in 2015.

There were no comments yet by the coalition or the Sudanese government on the Yemeni rebels' claims.

The fighting has recently intensified in and around Hodeidah as the Yemeni government forces backed by the coalition attempted to retake the port city from the rebels.

The government forces have advanced to the center of the port city, further encircling the rebels inside the populated areas.

Saudi Arabia is leading the Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The Houthis have controlled much of the Yemen's north, including the capital Sanaa, since September 2014.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced nearly 3 million others, according to UN agencies. Enditem

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