Global General

Yemen denies tribe militants seize military base

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-28 07:41

SANAA - A spokesman of the Yemeni Defense Ministry on Friday denied reports that anti-government armed tribesmen took control over military bases and shot down military planes outside the capital, official Saba news agency reported.

"What have been reported by media about that tribe militants seized military bases and shot down fighter jets were baseless," Saba quoted the spokesman as saying.

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"What happened was that an armed group belonging to the opposition Muslim Brotherhoods Islah party and their allies of the Joint Meeting Parties (JMPs) raided a military check point stationed in Farada area in Nehm, some 40km Northeast of Sanaa," the spokesman said.

The government troops fired back at those militants, inflicted big casualties among the attackers as the clashes also led the commander of the military checkpoint and six soldiers killed, said the official.

He also denied that military planes were shot down.

Earlier the day, a security official said that at least 13 people, including seven soldiers, were killed in clashes between Yemeni soldiers and tribe fighters as the latter tried to seize a camp belonging to the Republican Guards after they took over a military checkpoint.

Six armed tribesmen were also killed and more than 10 others were wounded in the clashes and air raids by the government, said a tribe leader. 

The clashes between the anti-government tribesmen and the government forces have erupted since Monday as at least 127 people were killed during the five-day gun battles.