New clash kills 19 in southeastern Yemen

By Tawfiq Ali

SHABWAH, Yemen (AA) – At least 19 people have been killed in a new clash between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces in the southeastern Shabwah province, according to the Information Center.

The pro-government center’s spokesman, Macid Amir el-Harisi, told Anadolu Agency fighting in Osaylan district occurred three days after pro-government forces captured the city.

Three fighters loyal to President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and 16 Houthis rebels were killed in the fighting.

Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran the capital, Sanaa, and other parts of the country.

The conflict escalated in mid-2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a major air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s embattled Saudi-backed government.

Two rounds of UN-backed peace talks have failed to resolve the conflict in which thousands of Yemenis are believed to have been killed and an estimated 2.5 million forced to flee their homes.