Jamil Zara Abu Badr

Jamil Yahya Muhammad Zara, known as Abu Badr, is the commander of the Sixth Military Region in the Houthis’ army. The region includes the triangle of Al-Jawf, Amran, and Saada, and under his command are five combat axes: the fronts of Khab wa Ash Sha'f, Al-Jawf, Al-Buqa, and the Al-Ajasher Desert. He was behind the offensive that led to the fall of Al-Jawf in early 2020, as well as the Saada fronts – Al-Malaheeth, after causing the communications cutoff and the isolation of Yemeni army units from each other. In mid-2023, he also took part in suppressing the tribes of Al-Jawf, who wage guerrilla warfare and inflicted heavy losses on him. He is considered one of the leaders close to the Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, since his tenure as commander of the Sufyan axis and as commander of the 29th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in Amran, adjacent to the Houthis’ central stronghold.