SANA'A: Yemen's defense minister reported that al-Houthis fighters, a Shia led militia who renounced the government back in 2004 and claim to want to restore the ancestral rule of the Imams over its territories, clashed with al-Islah militants in al-Jawf province on Tuesday. Since the state institutions meltdown, the group has grown bolder in its advances, using the power vacuum left by the political crisis and popular uprising as it knows that the government forces are concentrating their attention elsewhere. About a week ago, residents in Hajjah province north-west of Sana'a, warned that the Shia rebels were seizing towns and villages, making their way towards the seaport of Midi to secure an opening towards the red Sea and ferry military equipment from outside Yemen. Al-Houthis, which have their stronghold situated in Sa'ada, a northern Yemeni province, which shares borders with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are now fighting off tribesmen loyal to al-Islah as they are seen to be their ideological nemesis. Al-Islah is a pro-Sunni Islamic political party with little tolerance to the Shia belief system, since they view it as flawed. “Ten people from the opposition Islamic Islah Party and Shiite Houthi rebels were killed and several others injured in clashes that erupted after Houthis found out a member of the Islah Party wearing an explosive belt and killed him before he attempted to blow himself up during Houthis' annual religious festival of Eid al-Ghadeer in al-Mutoon district in Al-Jawf,” said the ministry in a statement posted on its website. Despite having agreed to a truce a while back as both al-Islah and al-Houthis were working at toppling President, recent weeks saw a resurgence in armed clashes. Interestingly, al-Houthis' media office is denying the allegation, arguing that they had uncovered a suicide bomber plot targeting their supporters in al-Mutoon district. “An unidentified person tried to join a procession of Houthi supporters en route to celebrate the day of al-Ghadeer festival, and when the procession's escorts intercepted him, they found a wire of an explosive belt concealed with him,” read a press release. The group added that they believed the attack was commandeered by the American. BM
