SANAA: Fierce clashes between Huthi rebels and gunmen from the powerful Hashid tribe killed at least 60 people on Friday in northern Yemen, tribal sources told AFP.
The clashes in Omran province killed 40 Huthi rebels and their allies and left 20 dead in the ranks of the Hashid tribe, the sources said.
The violence in Omran dates back to Jan. 5 when Huthis tried to seize Hashid strongholds.
“The fighting, the heaviest since the clashes broke out in Omran, erupted at dawn on Friday in Wadi Khiwan and Wadi Danan and in other areas of the Huth and Isha districts,” a tribal elder said.
Gunmen on both sides fired machine-guns and mortar rounds, he added.
Another source close to the powerful Al-Ahmar tribal grouping to which the Hashid belong said the tribes had “mobilized thousands of gunmen over the past few days” to confront the Huthis.
The source blamed the Huthis for launching an offensive on Tuesday, pounding the region with rockets and mortar rounds “in a bid to advance on the Huth district and Al-Khomri,” Al-Ahmar bastions.
“Tribesmen launched a counter-offensive and were able to push back the Huthis and today’s fighting was the fiercest,” the source said.
Yemen clashes kill 60
