9 April 2005	Saturday	29 Safar 1426

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SANAA, April 8: At least 75 people have been killed in the fiercest battles between Yemeni security forces and Shia rebels in northern Yemen, medics said on Friday.

They said anti-terrorism troops had been parachuted into the rugged mountains of Saada province, 240km north of the capital Sanaa, to reinforce forces battling supporters of slain anti-US cleric Hussein al-Houthi for over three weeks.

No government official was immediately available to comment on the report.

The deaths raised to at least 171 the number of people killed on both sides since the violence erupted on March 19.

The Yemeni government blames Houthi’s father, Sheikh Badr el-Deen, for the new round of fighting.

The medics said at least 25 people from both sides were wounded in the fighting but declined to give a breakdown on the casualties. They said most of the casualties appeared to be among the rebels.

Yemeni troops have been pounding Houthi loyalists with artillery and tank-fire since Wednesday night, trying to force them to surrender, witnesses in the area said.

Local government officials said the rebels have rejected mediation efforts to lay down weapons and turn in gunmen, who had ambushed and killed policemen, to face trial.

Houthi, a Zaidi Shia Muslim cleric, was killed last September along with at least 200 rebels after two months of fighting with the government forces.

Yemen says Houthi’s armed group is allied to Iran, trying to install Shia religious rule and preaching violence against the United States and Israel at mosques.—-Reuters