Yemen fighting claims more lives
Thousands have fled violence in northern mountains, government official says.
Published On 9 Apr 2007
Local sources in Saada told Al Jazeera on Monday that sporadic clashes were still taking place in the town of Dhahian, where government forces say they control most of the town.
Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president, ordered the army to crack down on al-Houthi and his group, based in Yemen’s northern Saada province, in January.
About 315 Shia fighters and 157 Yemeni soldiers have been killed in clashes since then, although al-Houthi’s followers say the government’s estimates of the number of Shia fighters killed are too high.
Although al-Houthi’s supporters are not thought to be linked to al-Qaeda, the government says al-Houthi preaches violence against the United States.
The government has also accused al-Houthi’s group of seeking to oust Yemen’s secular administration and install Islamic rule.
Al-Houthi’s supporters, though, say they are defending their villages against government aggression.
Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies