Dozens killed as tribal forces seize military barracks north of Yemeni capital

SANAA, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of people were killed and many wounded as anti-government tribal forces on Monday overran a barracks of the Yemeni Republican Guard in Nahm, 70 km north of the capital Sanaa, a local government official said.

The barracks is believed to belong to the Yemeni elite Republican Guard's 63rd Mountaineer Infantry Brigade, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The head of the brigade managed to escape, while dozens soldiers were held captive, the official said.
The government forces' warplanes were carrying out intense raids on the occupied barracks, while the tribal militiamen responded with anti-air weapons they seized from the base, he added.
No precise figures were currently available concerning the casualties.

Officials from the Defense ministry have confirmed that heavy clashes were going on between the Republican Guard's 63rd Mountaineer Infantry Brigade and opposition-led tribal militias in Bait Dahra district in northern Sanaa province.

The clashes since late Sunday followed the killing of a general of the Republican Guard during fighting with one of the elite's military base in Arhab district, which the Defense Ministry blamed the attack on the opposition forces.

The Defense Ministry said that the rebels were seeking to capture the military bases in northern Sanaa in bid to seize the Sanaa International Airport and northern entrances of the capital.
On Saturday, President Ali Abdullah Saleh warned his opponents of "harsh and decisive response if they continue to attack the Republican Guard forces."

The volatile regions have been the front-line of almost daily clashes between the rival forces since late May.

Yemen has been gripped by a political crisis since protests calling for an end to Saleh's 33-year rule which began in January.

Posted in: Yemen