In their 2004 conflict against the government of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of pressuring Saleh to crack down on their community, funding it with $25 billion USD. This accusation was denied by Saleh, and was not acknowledged by Saudi Arabia. The Houthis and pro-Houthi Yemen army units were deploying effective tactics. Usually, they would first deploy teams equipped with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) - like Russian made 9M113 Konkurs, 9M113 Kornet-E and a few BGM-71 TOW - to take out specific vehicles or bunkers. BM-21s and BM-27s would then target nearest military bases and sew mines along routes leading in the direction of the border. Meanwhile, pro - Houthi special forces would start assaulting the border outposts, while motorcycle mounted teams armed with RPG-7s and US-made BGM-47 Dragons would infiltrate into the Saudi rear. Columns of RSLF intervention forces would thus drive into unknown minefields, or rush into ambushes at places not directly hit by the fighting. Some raiding parties deployed into Saudi Arabia were armed with man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), but deployment of M167 Vulcan towed-anti aircraft cannons was noted too. Although exact details the effectiveness of either remain evasive, it transpires that during the first year of this war they at least managed to damage numerous attack helicopters of the RSLF and the RSNG, and thus forced their crews to keep their distance.