22 injured in conflicts between Yemen's warring sides

ADEN, Yemen, April 7 (Xinhua) -- A total of 22 people were injured during armed confrontations between the Yemeni government forces and armed militiamen in the southern province of al-Dhalea on Saturday, a security official told Xinhua.

The Yemeni government forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) clashed with scores of militiamen over the control of key facilities and institutions in the city of al-Dhalea, leaving 22 people injured at the scene, the local security source said on condition of anonymity.

"Anti-government militiamen launched an attack with grenades and heavy weapons against the UAE-backed Yemeni troops in charge of securing and protecting several key government institutions in the city," the security source said.

He added that the UAE-backed Yemeni troops that repulsed the attack after a two-hour gunbattle and imposed tightened security measures in and around the government-controlled province of al-Dhalea.

Medical sources at the AlNasr hospital confirmed to Xinhua that 22 people were injured from the two-warring sides, including leading members.

The UAE trained and equipped thousands of southern soldiers locally known as the "Security Belt Forces" to fight terrorist organizations and secure the government-controlled provinces, including the port city of Aden.

The newly-recruited southern Yemeni troops in cooperation with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition carried out several anti-terror operations and succeeded in kicking al-Qaida militants out from main cities in the country's southern part.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Iran-backed Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with seven million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths. Enditem