Indefinite fighters have been killed or injured in Baydha, local sources said Sunday, after "the fiercest" battles pitting Houthis against official government troops and tribesmen erupted late on Saturday in the Yemeni central governorate.
"The Houthi group mobilized its fighters to Mahilia area, where the Tribal Sheikh Yasser al-Oadhi had reportedly taken refuge," the sources added.
The Houthis "engaged with the government troops backed by armed tribesmen from Baydha and [the Marib-based tribe of] Murad, leaving deaths and casualties from both sides."
Last Thursday, the group raided the center of Radman district in Baydha and tensely besieged and attacked Mahilia, the hometown of Al al-Ajji Tribe located between Baydha and Marib.
No immediate comment has been released by the Houthi group on the Baydha hostilities.
After the Houthi seizure of his fatherland Radman and of his son Rami, Sheikh Oadhi left the town to the nearby governorate of Marib, according to local media.
The raid was triggered by the Sheikh's declaring of tribal mobilization of Baydha tribes in preparation for fighting the group that had months earlier attacked a village in the district and killed a woman.
Last Friday, Houthi fighters took control of the district, the group-run al-Masyra TV said, after clashes with tribesmen led by Sheikh Oadhi.
In a tweet last Wednesday, Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek hailed Baydha as "the Republic's shield and essence, opposing the imamate throughout history, in addition to its position at the heart of the ongoing battle since the ill-omened day of 21 September 2014," when the group ousted the legitimate government from Sana'a.
