Yemen says truce holds despite Shiite attack

Shiite rebels shot at an Interior Ministry official and killed a soldier in northern Yemen on Friday, violating a truce announced hours earlier.
Yemen’s government and rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi agreed late on Thursday to a truce that began at midnight (2100 GMT). The truce was welcomed on Friday by Shiite Muslim Iran, which has criticized Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the fighting on the government side.
Interior Minister undersecretary Mohammed al-Qawsi, whose car was shot at by rebels, told Reuters minor violations had occurred because not all rebel fighters were aware of the ceasefire, but that the deal still held.
He said rebels had killed one soldier and wounded seven outside the northern city of Saada.
“There are some small violations here and there, and there have also been some violations by rebels outside the city of Saada,” Qawsi said.

Saudi air strikes target Yemen rebels along the border

Saudi warplanes struck areas controlled by Shiite Muslim rebels along the border with northwestern Yemen, according to the insurgents, who said they killed eight Yemeni soldiers in clashes.

The rebels, known as Houthis after the family of their leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said Saudi jet fighters carried out 25 raids today on the Shada, Ghamr, al-Malahid and al-Dhahir districts of Yemen’s Saada province. Four houses were destroyed and two women injured in the village of al-Farha, the rebels said in a statement. Bloomberg

Double bombing in Iraq kills 32

A double bombing Friday in the southern city of Karbala killed at least 32 people and wounded over 100 as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims commemorated a major Shiite Muslim holy day.
The attack took place at the eastern entrance to the city as pilgrims from around Iraq were leaving the commemorations in the city center. First a car bomb exploded near a hospitality tent erected to offer refreshments, killing 10 people, according to Karbala police. Moments later a suicide bomber driving a car plowed into the carnage left by the first explosion, and killed another 22.
It was the third major attack against pilgrims this week, and coincided with a sharp escalation in violence ahead of crucial national elections due in March. LAT

Bomb at Shiite procession in Pakistan kills 25

A suicide bomber blew up a Shiite Muslim procession in Pakistan’s commercial capital Karachi on Monday, killing at least 25 people, in an attack that underscored multiple security challenges facing the US ally.

6 Shiite pilgrims killed in an explosion in Iraq

Iraqi officials say bombs have exploded among Shiite pilgrims marking the holy day of Ashura, killing at least six people and wounding more than 30 others.
Sunday’s deadliest blast was in the northern Iraqi town of Tuz Khormato, about 180 kilometers north of Baghdad. A roadside bomb exploded during a pilgrims’ procession, killing five and wounding 28. VOA

Saudi troops launch an attack to retake a village held by Shiite Yemeni rebels

Saudi troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships launched an attack Sunday to retake a border village held by Shiite Yemeni rebels, a Saudi military official said.
He said the operation targeted the southwestern village of al-Jabiri some 600 miles (966 kilometres) from the Saudi capital Riyadh. The official gave no further details on the attack or said whether there were any casualties. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The al Houthi rebels said Saturday they had taken al-Jabiri, which the Saudis say is a tiny outpost protected by a small number of border guards and surrounded by Yemeni territory from three sides. Source: Canadian press