Fierce fighting between government forces and Shiite rebels in south Yemen on Sunday claimed the lives of 48 fighters — 28 insurgents and 20 soldiers — a senior military officer said.
“A total of 28 Houthis (Shiite rebels) and 20 of our men were killed in the fighting, which continued into the evening,” General Misfer al-Harithi, who commands the army’s 19th Infantry Battalion, told AFP.
Earlier, Harithi gave a death toll of 28 rebels and 14 soldiers.
He said the clashes erupted when rebels and allied forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh attacked government positions in Bayhan district on the border between Shabwa and Marib provinces.
Troops counter-attacked and pushed the rebels back, he said.