RIYADH (News agencies) – A Saudi army commander said on Thursday that his military had lost 113 troops since the kingdom launched a sweeping offensive against Yemen's Shi'ite rebels in November. Maj. Gen. Ali Zaid al-Khawaji said the dead included a senior Saudi officer. His body was found with those of two other soldiers after a battle last week to drive Yemeni Shi'ite rebels out of a border village. The al-Riyadh newspaper reported al-Khawaji's figure yesterday. It's a significant jump from last week's toll, which stood at 82 dead and 470 wounded. Yemen's Houthi rebels have been battling their own government since 2004 over neglect and discrimination. When the rebels crossed the border into Saudi Arabia and killed two border guards in November, the kingdom's military joined the fray. Meanwhile, a Yemeni state-run newspaper said Yemen would stop issuing visas to foreign visitors landing in the country to prevent potential insurgents from sneaking in. The Defence Ministry's September 26 paper reported yesterday that those requiring visas would have to apply for them at Yemeni embassies abroad. Airport officials said the decision had not yet gone into effect. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press. So far, North Americans and Europeans could get visas on landing in Yemen. Other nationals either didn't need visas or had to apply for them at Yemeni embassies. The measure comes a day after Britain suspended direct flights with San'a in response to growing threat from al-Qaeda-affiliated militants based in Yemen. The al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen issued fresh threats against the US and its Mideast allies, promising to retaliate against a surge of strikes launched in the past month against its leaders and havens. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) also denied statements made by Yemeni authorities late last week that six of al-Qaeda's senior leaders in the country, including the man identified as the leader of the group's military operations, had been killed in an airstrike.
