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| Arabia |
| Yemen suspends offensive on northern rebels |
| 2009-09-05 |
| [Iran Press TV Latest] The Yemeni government plans to suspend its military offensive against Houthi rebels in the north to facilitate the work of aid agencies. The commission supervising operation Scorched Earth, which began in August, said on Friday that Sana'a "sees no problem in suspending military operations from 9:00 pm (1800 GTM)." The decision comes shortly after the military said three rebel leaders were killed in a dawn attack on their hideouts in Malaheez, the hotbed of rebellion in Saada Province. The senior commission said the suspension was a response to requests from international humanitarian organizations and the inhabitants of Saada to allow in food and aid for people displaced in the conflict which began on August 11. The rebels have announced their "undertaking to halt attacks on the armed forces" and "remove mines, explosives and roadblocks," it added. The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR has said Saada city is almost cut off from the outside world, calling for humanitarian corridors to evacuate people and allow aid into the troubled zone. On August 26, UNHCR estimated that more than 35,000 people have been displaced by recent clashes in the restive province, which has been the scene of sporadic violence over the past five years. Displaying weapons with Saudi emblems, the Yemeni rebels have accused the neighboring Arab kingdom of helping the offensive by providing military support to government forces and launching several bombing runs over Malaheez, a claims Sana'a has rebuffed as 'baseless lies'. |
| Posted by:Fred |