International Shia News Agency

al-akhbar.com/Clashes in Sanaa kill two Houthi rebels, one Yemeni soldier

SHAFAQNA (International Shia News Association)-Two Yemeni rebels were killed Saturday in clashes with troops loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in the capital which was largely overran last week by insurgents.

Fierce battles erupted overnight Friday near the presidential complex in southern Sanaa after Houthi rebels attacked the nearby residence of the head of the national security apparatus, witnesses said.

The rebels attacked National Security Chief’s Ali al-Ahmadi’s house in the city’s upscale Hadda neighborhood early on Saturday and clashes continued for two hours, the residents and security sources told Reuters.

One soldier and two insurgents were killed in the fighting, while 15 people – six soldiers and nine Houthis – were wounded, they said.

The attack, the second of its kind since last week, took place a day after Hadi urged the northern rebels to pull out of the capital, accusing them of pillaging houses, military bases and government institutions.

Rebel sources said two of their fighters were killed in the gunfight that lasted around three hours, while 15 others were wounded, after presidential guard forces intervened.

A number of rebels were also captured by the presidential force, the same sources said.

Tension remains high in the district, where Houthi rebels and presidential guards were heavily deployed.

Rebels have a strong presence in the northern part of the capital, home to most ministries that were overran.

But they are rarely present in southern Sanaa, where the presidential complex is said to be protected by four brigades deployed around the palace and in nearby hills.

The lightning takeover of Sanaa by the rebels who faced no resistance from government forces remains perplexing, observers say, as Interior Minister Abdo al-Tarib urged forces not to confront the rebels as they swept across the capital.

Sources close to the presidency spoke of a role for ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh in turning army and security chiefs against Hadi.

Saleh, who stepped down in February 2012 following nationwide protests, is accused of collaborating with the rebels by using his clout among army chiefs, the sources have said.

Military sources said the rebels aim to smoothly bring under their control army bases in Sanaa and other regions, by securing the cooperation of top officers.

Hadi has so far failed to name a new prime minister as stipulated by an agreement to end the fighting, which was mediated by UN envoy Jamal Benomar and signed hours after the rebel takeover Sunday..

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