29 killed in clashes between Yemen army, Houthis

By Ali Oweida

SANAA

At least 29 people have been killed in clashes between the Yemeni army and the Shiite Houthi group in the north of the country since Sunday night, an official source said.

"Seven Houthi militants and one soldier were killed in Mahshash Mountain area in northwestern Amran Province this morning," the source told Anadolu Agency Monday on condition of anonymity.

"The clashes are still ongoing," said the source, adding that two soldiers were wounded in the clashes.

The source said, meanwhile, that two army soldiers and 19 Houthi militants were killed in Jayef district in Hamdan directorate in Sanaa province when clashes flared up Sunday night.

He added that three soldiers were also injured.

Amran deputy governor Abdel-Rahman al-Saar told AA on Sunday that the Shiite group was relocating fighters and weapons from its main stronghold in northwestern Saada province to Amran despite a June 4 ceasefire with the Yemeni army.

Amran and Hamdan have been the scenes of sporadic clashes between the army and Houthi militants, who also frequently clash with local tribesmen.

The Shiite Houthi movement first appeared in 1992, taking Yemen's northern Saada province as its main base of operations.

Several rounds of subsequent fighting between the group and the army have left thousands dead on both sides.

Yemen in general has been dogged by turmoil since pro-democracy protests in 2011 forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 33 years in power.

www.aa.com.tr/en