Official source denies detention of 200 troops by Houthis

SANA'A, July 28(Saba)- An
official source in the Minister of Defense denied on Wednesday what some media
outlets
reported over detention of 200 soldiers of the Republican Guard Forces by the Houthi
insurgent elements in Harf Sufian, Amran province.
In a statement to Saba, the source condemned the publication of such baseless
information by some media without investigating them.
"The Republican Guard Forces do not spread in those sites alleged", the source
said. He called on the media to investigate the accuracy and credibility in the
news they
publish and avoid the dissemination of such misleading news, which may harm their
credibility.
During the recent visit of Qatari Emir to Yemen earlier in this month, President
Ali Abdullah Saleh announced re-activation of five points of the Doha deal to end
the rebellion
and achieve peace in the Saada with adding one more point related to Yemen and Saudi
Arabia from side and Houthis from other side.
In a press statement to reporters after holding talks with the Emir of Qatar,
president Saleh affirmed concern of Yemen to bring peace and security into Saada,
pointing
out to the continuing efforts by the six point supervision committees to deal with
breaches happened from time to time between the pro-government citizens and
pro-Houthis
groups.
President Saleh said that there is a progress in implementing the six points,
affirming concern of the government to avoid a new war.
Saada governorate has suffered from a sporadic six-year war between the government
troops and al-Houthi rebels since 2004. The last round of the war was erupted in
August
2009.
On February 12th, a ceasefire deal was announced by President Ali Abdullah Saleh
following the Houthi rebel leader acceptance of the government's six terms.
In spite some breaches committed by al-Houthi rebels, the deal's implementation is
groining well but slowly.
The war has claimed thousands of lives of innocent citizens, soldiers and
insurgents in Saada governorate, which is located close to the border with Saudi
Arabia.
The rebel group was founded by rebel leader Hussein al-Houthi, the eldest brother
of the current group leader Abdul-Malik. Hussein was killed by the army in
September 2004.
The government accuses the Houthi group of trying to reinstall the rule of imams,
which was toppled by a republican revolution in northern Yemen in 1962.
BA