Al Houthis 'forced out of Saudi territory'

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's deputy defence minister on Wednesday rejected Yemeni rebel claims that they had voluntarily withdrawn from Saudi territory, saying they had "been forced out" by the Saudi military.

Prince Khalid Bin Sultan said the border area had been "cleansed" of Yemeni rebel positions, but that snipers continued to attack Saudi troops.

The prince's remarks were the first official Saudi response to a statement on Monday from the Yemeni rebel leader saying that his forces had withdrawn from Saudi territory and were offering a ceasefire in the nearly three-month-old conflict.

Prince Khalid spoke to reporters after reviewing a parade formation of several hundred Saudi infantry, paratroopers and artillerymen in a dusty, open field several miles from the Yemen-Saudi border near the town of Kouba in the southern province of Jizan.

Earlier, journalists were driven to the top of Mt. Doud, a peak about a mile from the border that was seized by the rebels in mid-November and retaken by the Saudis a week ago, according to a senior Saudi military officer.

Exploding mortars and occasional gunshots could be heard in the distance along the border, and Saudi military officers said there was fighting between Yemeni forces and the rebels, known as Al Houthis.

The day-long visit to the border area was the first one organised by the Saudi government that included the foreign press since the conflict broke out in early November. The Yemeni government has also restricted journalists' access to the fighting.

As a result, claims by both sides have been almost impossible to verify. While the Al Houthis say that the Saudis have bombed their positions inside Yemen, the Saudis assert that they have not crossed the border and are merely trying to oust invaders.

Asked why Al Houthi rebels had apparently challenged the Saudi military by seizing Saudi territory, Prince Khalid said: "I don't know …. Your guess is better than mine."

Both the truce offer from Al Houthi leader Abdul Malek Al Houthi and the trip for reporters to the border may have been intended to influence a meeting of top Western and Arab officials on Wednesday in London to discuss options for assisting Yemen.

Besides the Al Houthi rebellion, the impoverished state is also contending with a secessionist movement and an assertive Al Qaida network.

Prince Khalid, who has been directing the Saudi military campaign, said that so far 109 Saudi soldiers and border guards had been killed in the conflict, including seven "in the last several days."

Another six are missing, four of whom are believed to be held prisoner by the rebels, he added. The Saudis, he said, are holding 1,500 prisoners, though only 300 to 400 of those are rebel fighters. The rest are smugglers, he added.

Before answering questions, Prince Khalid stood in the back of a Land Cruiser that drove slowly along the three-side formation of his troops, who had been waiting several hours to see their commander.

The prince repeatedly referred to the Al Houthi rebellion as "an internal problem" for Yemen, "which I am sure the Yemeni government can deal with."