24 killed in clashes in northern Yemen
More than 20 people were killed in clashes in
Yemen’s northern province of Al-Jawf late Sunday as government troops tried to
reclaim positions lost months ago to the Houthi group.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government has
been fighting the Iran-allied insurgents since 2014, when the Houthis seized
much of the north including the capital Sanaa.
A government military source said 16 Houthis and
eight loyalists were killed in clashes Sunday night.
Government troops captured more than 40 rebels, the
source told AFP.
Meanwhile, the insurgents advanced in the
neighbouring Marib governorate, in particular the Mahliya district, after heavy
fighting that also resulted in casualties.
Houthis took control of the capital of Al-Jawf
earlier this year in a strategic advance that means they now threaten
oil-producing Marib province.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the
Yemen conflict, which the United Nations has described as the world's worst
humanitarian crisis.
Fighting has carried on despite repeated calls for a
ceasefire to help combat coronavirus, which health agencies fear could be
disastrous in impoverished Yemen.
More than 1,900 cases of COVID-19 have been
confirmed in the country, including 572 deaths.
