3 Houthis Killed İn E. Yemen Clashes

Three Houthis were killed in clashes with armed tribesmen loyal to embattled President ABD Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in Yemen's eastern Maarib province, eyewitnesses have said.



According to witnesses, Houthi militants clashed with pro-Hadi tribesmen in the Jabal Salab district, during which three of the former were killed and two others wounded.



Tribesmen, witnesses added, had also managed to capture five local sites that had been recently occupied by Houthi militants.



Recent weeks have seen frequent clashes between armed tribesmen and Shiite Houthi militants in Yemen's oil-rich Maarib province.



Yemen in general has remained in a state of turmoil since 2011, when a popular uprising forced autocratic President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down one year later.



In late March, Saudi Arabia and several of its Arab allies began striking Houthi positions from the air across Yemen.



Riyadh says the air campaign is in response to appeals by embattled Yemeni President ABD Rabbuh Mansour Hadi for help against the Houthis.



Late last year, the Shiite militant group overran capital Sanaa and has since advanced on other parts of the country.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Sana