Yemeni army kills 18 rebels

October 6th, 2009 High on qat, Yemeni troops battle Shiite rebelsHARF SOFYAN, Yemen — Resting between frenetic bursts of fighting with tenacious Shiite rebels in the north, many Yemeni soldiers pass the day chewing qat leaves — the mild stimulant plant that is the impoverished Arab nation's traditional drug of choice. For the beleaguered troops dispatched to Yemen's rugged Saada province, the chewing sessions offer a welcome high and suppress fears that the rebels may have the upper hand against an army lacking basic gear such as helmets and body armor.

September 26th, 2009 SANNA - The Yemeni Army Saturday said at least 15 rebels were killed in clashes in the north, bringing the number of militants killed in the area in the past two days to 40, according to a media report. The army was confronted with the rebels in the western part of Saada province in northern Yemen, killing 15 of them and wounding several others, Qatar-based Arab TV channel Al Jazeera reported citing a military source.

September 22nd, 2009 SANA'A - Seventy-six rebels were killed and around 150 injured in clashes with government troops in the restive northwestern Yemeni province of Saada Tuesday, a military statement said. The statement on the defence ministry's website (www.26sep.net) said the fighting took place in al-Malahid and Munabih districts of Saada and Harf Sufian of Amran province.

September 20th, 2009 SANAA - Government troops thwarted an attack by Shia rebels in the capital of the restive northwestern province of Saada Sunday after a shaky truce collapsed, a military source said. The army fought back the rebels, known as Houthis, and "inflicted huge losses" on them after they attacked Saada city from three directions at dawn, the unnamed source said in a statement posted on the defence ministry's website.

September 19th, 2009 Yemen offers cease-fire to Shiite rebelsSAN'A, Yemen — The Yemeni government has offered a new conditional cease-fire, the second this month, to end fighting with Shiite rebels in the north of the country. The early Saturday announcement stated the cease-fire would take effect at midday, just a day before the Muslims' Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

September 17th, 2009 Yemen suffers turmoil on multiple frontsYemen is beset by wars, unrest and piracy. Here are the main troubles it faces: NORTHERN REBELLION: Government troops and Shiite rebels have been fighting on and off since 2004.

September 9th, 2009 SANAA - Twelve Shia rebels and three Yemeni soldiers were killed in fighting in northern Yemen Wednesday, al-Jazeera TV reported. The incident took place in the mountainous Saada province near the Saudi border.

August 23rd, 2009 SANA'A - More than 100 Shia rebel fighters have been killed in fierce clashes with government forces in northwest Yemen during the past two days, the government said in a statement Sunday. The statement, faxed to DPA, said two field commanders of the Houthi rebel group were among those killed in the Harf Sufian district of the Amran province.

August 13th, 2009 Rebels say Yemen planes bomb north for second daySAN'A, Yemen — Shiite rebels and local officials say Yemeni warplanes have bombed a northern province bordering Saudi Arabia for a second straight day, hitting a number of towns and killing several people. The latest attacks come a day after air force planes hit a market in Saada province and killed some civilians, according to the rebels and local officials.

August 12th, 2009 Yemen bombs Shiite rebels stronghold near SaudiSAN'A, Yemen — Shiite rebels and local officials say Yemeni forces, using artillery and aircraft, bombed several rebel strongholds in a province bordering Saudi Arabia in a major escalation of the conflict. A health ministry official in Saada province says 12 people have been killed.

August 12th, 2009 Yemeni government counters a Shiite rebellionSAN'A, Yemen — Yemeni government forces used artillery and aircraft to attack Shiite rebels near the border with Saudi Arabia in an escalation of the five-year-old conflict, rebels and local officials said Wednesday. The government offensive, which is believed to have started late Tuesday and continued Wednesday, followed reports Tuesday of rebels seizing more control of the northern Saada province from government forces.

August 11th, 2009 Rebels battle Yemeni army near Saudi border postSAN'A, Yemen — Shiite rebels battled Yemeni government troops Tuesday near a key border crossing with Saudi Arabia in a widening conflict that threatens to further destabilize this key U.S. ally in the battle against al-Qaida.

June 14th, 2009 SANA'A - Seven Germans, a British engineer and a South Korean teacher have been kidnapped in the restive northwestern Yemeni province of Saada, the state news agency Saba reported Sunday. The agency said a German medical appliances engineer, his wife and their three children and two German nurses as well as a British engineer and a female teacher from South Korea were abducted Friday by Shiite rebels.

May 27th, 2009 COLOMBO - A week after the Sri Lankan government declared the Tamil rebels crushed, army commandos killed 11 rebels in the eastern part of the country and recovered a haul of weapons, the army said Wednesday. The rebels were killed in the Kanjikudichchiaru area in Ampara district, an area that had been declared cleared by security forces.

April 26th, 2009 SANA'A - Yemeni navy and coast guard forces killed two pirates and injured three in a clash after Somali pirates seized a Yemeni oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden Sunday, coast guard sources said. The sources told DPA that two navy ships were sent to aid coast guards gunboats involved in a gunfight with the pirates.