Security official survives assassination attempt

A senior security official survived an assassination attempt allegedly plotted by al-Huthi rebels, official sources said Thursday.

Gunmen loyal to the rebel leader, Abdul Malik al-Huhti, tried late Wednesday to assassinate the Sana’a province security director, Mohammed Turaik, in Bani Hushaish a northern suburb of Sana’a, the official news agency Saba said.

The incident came few days after a similar assassination attempt against the security director of Amran province, Hamoud al-Kaod.

Two soldiers at least were killed in a hunt of operation in the area of Bani Hushaish after the assassination attempt. 

Dozens of people from the two sides were reportedly killed over the past few days in Sa’adah and the neighboring province of Amran after all mediations efforts, including the Qatari mediation came to a deadlock.

The government troops however, have completely controlled the highway between Sana’a and Sa’adah, which witnessed fierce confrontations over the past few days when al-Huhti rebels tried to cut the road and establish checkpoints, local sources said Thursday. 

Last week, the rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi, threatened to expand the battles to other provinces if the government did not meet his conditions, which include the pull out of troops from Sa’adah.

The International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC) called for more support to meet the increasing needs caused by such confrontations.

“The ICRC has asked donors for an additional 8.5 million Swiss francs for its Yemen budget to respond to the increasing needs caused by the fighting,” said a press release issued by the Sana’a-based office of ICRC.

“As a result of the latest confrontations in the north of the country, thousands of civilians are currently fleeing their homes to seek refuge where they can be assisted and cared for,” says Marcus Dolder, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen.

Related Content

•  Al-Qaeda statement denies official reports
•  Dutch police detains two Yemenis on US flight
•  Mysterious fate of Sa’dah deputy security director
•  Government and Houthis sign schedule for implementing 22 points
•  Final qualifying stage for Yemen poet, Al-Aqeeq channel
•  Economic Media Center demands traders maintain reasonable prices
•  SCER mandates education to review voters tables for 2010
•  More than million children out of school, government report
•  Intensifying al-Qaeda attacks are government’s biggest challenge, President Saleh
•  Abyan al-Qaeda attacks security raising death toll to 23 troops