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Two Yemeni Houthis were killed and a third was kidnapped, while a militant from the Tihamah region was wounded during clashes between the two sides on Thursday in the western province of Al-Hudaydah, a local source said.
He added that the clashes continued to rage unabated in the western province, noting that the kidnapped person was an army conscript fighting with the Houthis, a Shiite movement that has been expanding its control over Yemeni cities since September 21.
Some political forces, meanwhile, called for a march on Saturday against the presence of Houthis in Al-Hudaydah.
Tihama is a coastal plain extending from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. A group of Yemenis live and name themselves after the plain, lobbying for a financially and administratively semi-autonomous region in their area.
On Thursday, Tihamah militants closed all entry points to the site of their clashes with the Houthis, while the latter group had been receiving reinforcements, eyewitnesses said.
Tihamah supporters have been staging a sit-in at the site of the clashes for several months now, demanding the establishment of a federal system, under which their region would enjoy semi-autonomy.
Houthis have managed to capture different strategic areas along the Red Sea coast in Al-Hudaydah, including the civilian airport, the military airport and the main seaport.
Houthis have controlled Yemeni capital Sanaa since September 21 despite having signed an agreement with the Yemeni presidency that aimed at ending the country's political stalemate.
Since then, Houthis have been trying to extend their control over other parts of the country.
Yemen has been in turmoil since a popular uprising that erupted in 2011 toppled longstanding president Ali Abdullah Saleh one year later.
Some Arab capitals accuse Shiite Iran of backing Yemen's ongoing Houthi insurgency.
By Maarib al-Ward
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en - Sana
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