Tribesmen, Houthis Clash İn E. Yemen; 2 Killed

Two tribesmen were killed on Thursday in separate clashes with Houthi militants in the eastern Maarib province, according to tribal sources and eyewitnesses.



They told The Anadolu Agency that Houthi militants had stormed a tribesman's home in the Majzar district in western Maarib, eventually murdering him and razing his home after accusing him of killing a soldier.



Clashes erupted later between Houthis and armed tribesmen, leaving one of the latter dead, sources said, adding that a number of Houthis, too, had been injured and killed.



Meanwhile, two soldiers were killed and two others wounded earlier Thursday when unidentified militants opened fire on them in Maarib, a local official said.



He told AA that militants had opened fire on a vehicle carrying soldiers in western Maarib, killing two and injuring a number of others.  



Yemen has remained in a state of turmoil since a popular uprising in 2011 ended the autocratic rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh one year later.



In recent months, the Houthis – who are Shiite Muslims – emerged as a new player on Yemen's political



stage, taking over capital Sanaa last September and extending its influence to other provinces as well.



The Houthis' growing power, however, has brought it into conflict with local Sunni tribes and Al-Qaeda, the latter of which is said to still be active in fractious Yemen. 



www.aa.com.tr/en - Sana