| New York Times | - |
SANA, Yemen
- Clashes between Shiite rebels and tribesmen allied with the
government have killed at least 35 people and wounded 40 others in some
of the fiercest fighting to hit the country in months, a Yemeni security official said Sunday. The rebels ...
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SANA,
Yemen — Clashes between Shiite rebels and tribesmen allied with the
government have killed at least 35 people and wounded 40 others in some
of the fiercest fighting to hit the country in months, a Yemeni security
official said Sunday.
The rebels, from the Houthi tribe, have been battling tribesmen from Yemen’s
largest tribal confederation, the Hashid, which is backed by an army
unit and allied with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Islah party. The Houthi
are backed by smaller tribes.
The
official said Sunday that 15 soldiers and 20 rebels were killed in two
days of fighting that began Friday in and around the city of Amran,
northwest of the capital, Sana.
National
army units fought alongside the tribesmen, and military warplanes
struck the rebels who tried to attack a government compound late
Saturday, the official said. He provided the information on the
condition of anonymity, following his department’s policies.
Yemen,
the poorest Arab nation, is facing multiple challenges. In addition to
threats from an active offshoot of Al Qaeda, it faces a secessionist
movement in the south and the Houthi rebellion in the north. Mediation
efforts and cease-fires have failed to end the unrest.
The
Houthi, who belong to the Zaydi sect, a Shiite branch, also accuse
ultraconservative Muslims known as Salafis of trying to proselytize in
their strongholds.
Also
on Sunday, gunmen attacked an army patrol, killing six soldiers in the
southern province of Abyan, military and security officials said.
All officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
Yemen is home to one of the most active branches of Al Qaeda.
The
government has waged repeated offensives to drive the militants out of
the south, most recently this spring. The group retaliated with a series
of attacks against troops and security-related sites.
In June, militants carried out coordinated attacks against an airport, a military barracks and a post office, killing 15.
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