SANAA: Yemeni troops pounded rebel positions in northern Yemen with artillery on Tuesday, a day after killing 29 Shiite fighters, while clashes were also reported in the impoverished south.
Military sources said the army used artillery in Harf Sufyan, in Omran province, as well as on the northern outskirts of Saada city, stronghold of the rebels and target of a government offensive since Aug. 11.
Twenty-nine rebels died in battles with government troops in the mountainous north, a military official said in statements carried by the official Saba news agency on Tuesday.
Rebel leaders, including Abdullah Ali Al-Qallat, were among those killed in Monday’s fighting across Saada province, the official said. He did not mention any casualties among troops.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Monday night chaired a meeting of the national defense council during which Defense Minister Mohammad Nasser Ahmad Ali gave a briefing on the course of the offensive, Saba said.
On Monday a woman was wounded during clashes between security forces and “wanted criminals” in Jinzibar, capital of the southern Abyan province, Saba quoted a government official as saying.
Local sources said the fighting erupted when supporters of Tareq Al-Fadhali opened fire on security forces prompting the troops to retaliate.
