Yemen announces control of al-Houthi positions

Yemen announced that its forces were able recently to control the positions of the supporters of the Shiite clergy Hussein Bader Eddine al-Houthi after bloody confrontations took place in Saadah governorate in the north west of the country.

In a statement, the supreme security committee stressed the "end of all security, and military operations, end of sedition and restoring back security and stability to the Nashour, al-Razzamat and al-Shafea areas." The Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh told journalists that the confrontations have practically ended since last Wednesday and the government forces controlled the areas of the rebels. Saleh considered that the rebels are outlaws and have no political weight and also have no danger on the unity of Yemen.

At least 170 persons were killed of the security forces and al-Houthi followers in the clashes which started on March 19.

Al-Houthi, a clergy men from the Zeidi Shiite sect, was killed in September in addition to 200 of his followers after two months fighting with the government forces. The government holds his father Sheikh Bader Eddine the responsibility for the new round of clashes. Yemeni security sources stressed that Bader Eddine is still free with a group of the leaders of the rebels.

The authorities in Sanaa accuse the armed al-Houthi group of trying to establish a Shiite religious regime and have called in mosques for violence against the US and Israel. This group has no connection to al-Qaida organization.

The authorities detained more than 800 suspected to be followers of the group and closed unlicensed schools run by the group.