Yemeni army kill 17 rebels, claims official

Yemeni soldiers kill 17 Shiite rebels in overnight clashes in the mountainous north as the army stepped up its offensive, the official Saba news agency reports.

SANA'A // Yemeni soldiers killed 17 Shiite rebels in overnight clashes in the mountainous north as the army stepped up its offensive, the official Saba news agency reported today, citing a local official. Four other rebels, who are also known as Houthis and are seeking an end to the current form of government, were arrested as they fled the battleground in Saada province, the official told Saba.

"The army and security forces have inflicted heavy losses upon the saboteurs and the rebels whether in terms of lives or equipment," the official said. Fighter planes roared overhead, striking rebel posts as troops exchanged fire with Houthi fighters, who during the gunfight wounded two civilians, one of them severely, the official added. The army has also destroyed several vehicles that were carrying aid, ammunition and weaponry to the rebels, he said.

The Yemeni government launched operation "Scorched Earth" on August 11 but last Friday said it would observe a ceasefire in response to requests from aid agencies. However, fighting resumed only four hours after the truce was announced. An offshoot of Shiite Islam, the Zaidis are a minority in mainly Sunni Yemen but form the majority community in the north. The Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh is a Zaidi.

* AFP