Yemen's Houthis seize ex-president's giant mosque after clashes in Sanaa

SANAA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's dominant Shiite Houthi rebels on Wednesday seized control over a giant mosque that had been built and controlled by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in central Sanaa after fierce clashes, eye witnesses said.

The fighting was over following three hours of exchange of fire, according to the eyewitnesses and a senior Houthi security official.

Ambulances were seen rushing to the scene, eyewitnesses said, adding that they saw around a dozen of Saleh's loyalists were injured and arrested by Houthi fighters.

The Houthi official on condition of anonymity confirmed that the situation was under control and the mosque was controlled by the Houthi security force.

He said all Saleh's loyal fighters were arrested.

Houthi rebel movement advanced from their stronghold in the far north province of Saada towards the capital Sanaa in September 2014, where they tightened control over the capital, all government facilities, army and security camps.

Saleh's loyalists and their General People's Congress welcomed the Houthi's move and struck a partner agreement.

The new allies of Houthis and Saleh's party then toppled the legitimate government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and forced Hadi along with his cabinet members into exile in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

The fragile alliance between the two parties has faced many troubles over the vying of controlling the power.

On Aug. 26, a deadly fighting erupted near the residential house of Saleh's son in the southern part of Sanaa, during which Houthis killed a senior security official close to Saleh.

Houthis and Saleh's party have since been trading accusations over allegations of secret links with the U.S.-backed Saudi-led military coalition.

The coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to roll back the Iranian-allied Houthi group and reinstate Hadi into power.

The nearly three years of war has killed over 10,000 Yemeni people, mostly civilians, and pushed the poor Arab country into the most humanitarian catastrophe and near mass famine. Enditem