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| Arabia |
| Yemen Asks Libya To Extradite Brother Of Rebel Leader |
| 2007-02-17 |
| Yemen has officially asked Libya to hand over a brother of a Shiite rebel leader whose followers are battling government forces in northern Yemen, the state news agency Saba reported Friday. The agency quoted official sources as saying that Yahya al-Houthi, a member of the parliament, would be put on trial soon after he is extradited from Libya for "his leading role in the strife" in the northern province of Saada, some 230 kilometres north of the capital Sana'a. Authorities would ask the parliament to strip the MP al-Houthi of his parliamentary immunity ahead of prosecuting him, said the agency. The legislator left the country last year during battles in Saada between followers of the outlawed Shiite Believing Youth group that was founded by his elder brother, Hussein, who was killed in clashes with the army in September 2004. Bloody confrontations between Houthi's followers and the army have since left over 720 government troops dead, according to the official toll. Hundreds of rebels were also killed. Government forces launched last week a major assault on Shiite rebel positions in Saada, which borders Saudi Arabia, after weeks of tit-for-tat attacks. Yahya is a member of the ruling General Peoples Congress headed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh and is widely seen as a moderate. His younger brother, Abdul-Malik, is now leading remnants of the armed group. Saleh has accused Houthi's followers of trying to topple the republican regime and establish an Islamic state, saying that "foreign parties" have been supporting them. Local media reports have recently quoted government officials as accusing Iran and Libya of financing the rebels. |
| Posted by:Fred |