[Al Arabiya Latest] Sixteen Shiite rebels and five soldiers were killed in clashes in northern Yemen on Friday, a day after 15 local aid workers were kidnapped, as a government offensive entered its fourth day intensifying the fighting in the poor Arab country.Rebels loyal to leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi attacked and damaged a government building in the northern province of Amran, a local government source told Reuters.
The military has deployed warplanes as well as ground troops in a bid to dislodge the rebels, the official added.
Rebels took 15 Red Crescent doctors, nurses, officials and administrators from a refugee camp in the neighboring province of Saada late on Thursday, Hassan al-Manna, the province's governor, said earlier.
The rebels have displaced around 17,000 families from their homes in the mountainous northern province of Saada over the past four days, Manna said, according to the Yemeni Defense Ministry website.