| Submit your comments on this article |
| Arabia |
| Yemens Houthi rebels set free 100 held soldiers |
| 2010-08-03 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Yemeni Houthi rebels on Sunday set free 100 soldiers captured in recent fighting, days after announcing the release of 200 other troops, a mediator told AFP. Sheikh Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ahmar said the latest batch of soldiers released had been held by the Houthi rebels in the region of al-Amishiya in northern Amran province. "They have arrived in my home town of Amran and are my guests," said Sheikh Hassan, a pro-government prominent tribal chief who helped to mediate the prisoners' release. He said the rebels promised to free another 128 soldiers "tomorrow or the day after." On Wednesday, the Shiite rebels let go 200 soldiers they had captured two days earlier and promised to release other prisoners, both civilian and military, in the coming days. The rebels and the army engaged in deadly fighting in July that lasted nine days, rattling an already fragile truce agreed in February which had ended a six-month round of fighting in a conflict that started in 2004. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Saturday accused the rebels of rejecting a February truce, through repeated acts of aggression. "In their latest acts of aggression, the Houthi rebels attacked the MP Saghir bin Abdul Aziz in his home and army units," Saleh said in a speech reported by the state news agency Saba. "The state has abstained from all military action, while knowing that the rebels are pursuing other plans, as advocates of war who do not want peace." "We will, however, insist on implementing the six provisions (of the truce) and on returning to peace," he said, adding that he hoped to see Qatar "convince the rebels to apply the points of the ceasefire." Earlier in July Qatar's ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani visited Yemen, and said Doha was prepared to help safeguard the country's unity and consolidate the truce, an offer welcomed by the rebels. Meanwhile on Saturday Yemen's security commission, which is responsible for ensuring compliance with the ceasefire agreement, accused the rebels of repeated violations. These have included "killing and wounding numerous citizens, kidnapping others, cutting off roads, dynamiting houses and looting property," a spokesman for the commission was quoted as saying by Saba. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 If the Yemen soldiers are getting beat by these rebels, I see it as a bad thing. http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/profile-al-houthi-movement Especially since Iran seems to like them. |
| Posted by: miscellaneous 2010-08-03 17:37 |
| #1 sounds like the Houthis might be whooping the Yemeni soldiers asses. |
| Posted by: chris 2010-08-03 17:27 |