Ten more supporters of a besieged Islamic preacher were killed Wednesday as the army stepped up its offensive against the insurgents in Yemen’s mountainous northern region, local authorities said. Clashes since June 19 in the area, which lies within Saada province near the border with Saudi Arabia, have left at least 78 dead, including 12 soldiers, according to an AFP count. "Ten supporters of Hussein Badr Eddin al-Huthi were killed in a morning bombardment against the insurgents’ hideouts" in Saada, a local official said. "The army concentrated its bombings on the fortifications and trenches" used by the hundreds of Huthi’s supporters in their stronghold in the rugged Maran region, the official added. | Guess they didn't get the memo that strongholds are a thing of the past. Gathering all your forces in one place just means it's easier to kill you. |
At the same time, he said, "units of foot soldiers are moving towards the supporters" of the preacher, who is from the Zaidi community, a moderate Shiite sect dominant in northwest Yemen but in the minority in mainly Sunni Yemen. | Pin them down with artillary and move infantry in to mop up. Somebody has been paying attention to their training. |
Mediation attempts led by MPs, including Huthi’s brother Yahia, to end the clashes were called off as the preacher allegedly refused to negotiate. | "I'll never give up, you'll have to kill me first!" "Ok" |
The defence ministry said Tuesday that Yemeni troops killed the militants’ deputy commander, naming him as Zaid bin Ali Moslah al-Huthi, a brother of the self-styled "Emir al-Mumineen", or Prince of Believers. "The armed forces also succeeded in inflicting more losses on the ranks of his followers," the ministry said. "Several of Huthi’s followers have been arrested and large quantities of arms, ammunition and cars seized, along with documents of a subversive nature which were clearly calculated to fan sectarian strife," it added. Residents of the area said Wednesday that dozens of families had fled the region since the army intensified its bombing campaign, and that numerous wounded soldiers were evacuated from the combat zone. More than 60 of Huthi’s supporters, including another of Huthi’s brothers, Abdul Aziz, have been captured since the fighting broke out. But one of the MPs involved in the abortive mediation effort accused elements of the army of undermining efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully. | Well, the dead guys look real peaceful to me. |
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