Yemeni
Houthi fighters are now in control of the northern province of Sa’ada
following clashes with security forces which left at 20 people dead.
The fresh clashes came as thousands of protesters across the country
have been calling for the ouster of embattled President Ali Abdullah
Saleh since mid-January. Dozens have been killed and hundreds more
wounded during anti-government protests.
The fighters have also clashed with Yemeni government forces in the neighboring province of al-Jawf, local sources said.
“Fighting between Shia rebels, Yemeni troops and their tribal allies
killed 20 people in the north” AFP quoted the sources as saying on
Monday.
The Shia Houthi fighters, who have fought the Yemeni regime for
their rights, have been frequently pounded by Yemeni fighter jets and
helicopter gunships.
The fighting broke out on Monday after Yemeni troops tried to retake
the control of a strategic military installation near the northern
province of Al-Jawf, which the Houthi fighters had taken over.
The Yemeni government launched Operation Scorched Earth in 2007 to
uproot the Houthis, whom Sana’a accuses of seeking to restore the Zaydi
imamate rule, overthrown in a 1962 coup.
