Al Houthi rebels in war with Saudi forces

By Nasser Arrabyee/05/11/2009


At least 5 Saudi soldiers and 15 Al Houthi rebels were killed in fierce confrontations between the rebels and Saudi forces in Al Khuba and Jabal Al Dukhan in Jaizan area south of the Kingdom, local sources said Thursday.

The leader of the rebels Abdul Malik Al Houthi said in a statement Thursday that the Saudi army is bombarding his fighters' posts in Al Malahaid frontline far west of Sa'ada, "with all kinds of weapons".

"The Saudi fighters bomb Al Malahaid area, Jabal Al Mamdood, Al Husama and Al Mujda'a with phosphoric bombs," said Al Houthi in a statement sent through emails Thursday.

About 11 schools in the Saudi area of Jaizan were evacuated from students according to press reports.

Earlier on Wednesday, the rebel leader said that Saudi forces killed one of his fighters and injured another before his fighters attacked and controlled the Saudi post of Jabal Al Dukhan killing an officer, and injuring 11 soldiers.

The Saudi officials confirmed that Al Houthi rebels killed a Saudi officer and injured 11 soldiers in Jabal Al Dukhan in Jaizan area south of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Al Houthi said in a statement sent through emails Wednesday that his fighters had controlled Jabal Al Dukhan earlier last October, but then they madea secret deal with the Saudi guards to leave it.

"We withdrew from it on condition that the Saudi forces should not allow the Yemeni army to attack us from this mountain."

However, earlier this week, the Saudi forces allowed the Yemeni army to attack us from it.

"So we attacked and controlled it fully," Al Houthi said in the statement.

Meanwhile, three field leaders of Al Houthi rebels were killed in the current confrontations in the old city of Sa'ada and the areas around it where the troops seem to be determined to clean these areas from the rebels. The three leaders were identified by the security forces in Sa'ada as Hussein Al Sheikh, Abdullah Al Dhufari, and Hussein Kass.

A total of 217 Al Houthi-linked men were arrested during the month of October in Hajja, Al Jawf, Mareb and Sana'a in 122 hunt down operations, said the ministry of interior in a statement Thursday.

More than 30 Lorries and cars laden with supply materials for the rebels were seized during the same period. About 90 % of those arrested were working in the favour of the armed rebellion according to the investigations, the ministry said.