At least 7 soldiers killed in fighting against Houthi militants in Yemen

At least seven soldiers were killed when fierce clashes flared up in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz on Sunday between government forces and Shiite Houthi militants, a military source said.

Up to 18 soldiers were wounded so far in the ongoing fight in Wazieyah district in Taiz, the source said.

The fighting erupted late Saturday, during which the government forces with local armed resistance committees advanced against the Shiite Houthi fighters and their allied forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The military source said the Saudi-backed government forces with local resistance committees recaptured six areas and approached the district center, which was still under the rebels' control.

There was no immediate report of Houthi and Saleh casualties.

The joint Houthi-Saleh forces have ruled much of Taiz since they extended to the city under complete siege in September 2014.

Both warring sides were in almost shaky cease-fire since April 10 to facilitate ongoing peace talks in Kuwait backed by the United Nations to end more than a year of civil war.

The talks have yielded few principle results.

United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-moon on Thursday blamed the Saudi-led coalition for 60 percent of child deaths during the war and added it to the blacklists of states and armed groups that violate children's rights in war. Endit