Sana’a: Some 17 Yemeni policemen were wounded in an ambush by Al Houthi rebels as fighting between government forces and the rebels neared the capital, officials said on Sunday.
The Al Houthis — also known as Ansarullah — have been pushing out of their northern mountain strongholds towards Sana’a in a suspected bid to expand their sphere of influence as Yemen is reorganised into six regions.
“Armed militants belonging to the Ansarullah [Al] Houthi [rebels] opened fire at security patrols carrying out their duties in the capital” on Saturday, state news agency Saba said.
Militants blocked a road in Sana’a’s Al Jarraf district, where the rebels have a representative office near the interior ministry, and opened fire on police patrols from surrounding buildings.
Seventeen policemen, including three officers, were wounded in the assault, it added.
Security officials told AFP the incident took place after authorities arrested two wanted rebels and tried to arrest others.
Ansarullah said in a statement security forces “targeted” the rebels’ bureau in Sana’a to “ignite a meaningless war”.
On Saturday, hundreds of Yemenis protested outside the presidential residence in Sana’a over what they say is the authorities’ inaction over the rebel advance on the capital.
The demonstrators, some from Amran province north of the city where rebels are clashing with the army, chanted “Stop the Al Houthi advance!”
“I think the [Al] Houthis have taken to arms so they can take territory from Saada province to Amran, and I suspect they also want to enter Sana’a itself,” said one protester, Nadia Abdullah.
Some demonstrators accused Iran of supporting the rebels, while others said they suspected former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was arming them “so he can overthrow President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi”.
Battles between troops and rebels neared Sana’a on Friday, with clashes reaching the town of Bani Matar, only 15km northwest of the capital, tribal and security sources said.
The sources said that “dozens” have been killed, but were unable to provide a toll.
Military officials have said Yemeni jet fighters have pounded rebel positions over the past two days, destroying an arms depot in the northern town of Hamdan, while army reinforcements have been deployed around Sana’a.
A new round of clashes between rebels and security forces erupted in Yemen’s north a week ago, ending an 11-day truce agreed after mediation backed by United Nations envoy Jamal Bin Omar.
Al Houthis have been battling the central government for years from their Saada heartland, complaining of marginalisation under Saleh, who stepped down in 2012 after a year-long uprising.
They had said that a federalisation plan agreed in February following national talks as part of a political transition would divide Yemen into rich and poor regions.
They seized areas of Amran province in fighting with tribes in February that killed more than 150 people.
In addition to the rebellion, the government in Sana’a is also facing a southern separatist movement and an Al Qaida insurgency.
Members of the security forces, particularly officers, are frequently targeted in attacks.
