Yemen: Houthi Rebels Seize a Northern City

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/09/world/middleeast/yemen-houthi-rebels-seize-a-northern-city.html

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Shiite Muslim rebels captured Omran, one of the main cities in northern Yemen, on Tuesday, a local official and residents said, putting them on the outskirts of the capital. The fall of Omran is a major blow to the government of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has been trying to stabilize the country after nearly three years of turmoil that forced his predecessor to step down. Local officials and witnesses said the Houthis seized Omran after battles in which about 100 were killed and 150 wounded on Tuesday alone. Medics said dozens of bodies lay in streets strewn with the rubble of homes. The conflict pitted the Shiite tribal militias against Sunni Muslim tribesmen allied with government troops. The current round of fighting began last week after a June 23 cease-fire collapsed.