At least 12 policemen were killed in an ambush in Yemen on Saturday.
Armed men attacked a convoy on a routine patrol in the ‘Sa’da region, north of the capital ‘Sana.
Yemen’s Interior Ministry and local authorities could not provide details of the circumstances of the incident.
One of the policemen killed was a relative of the governor of the ‘Sa’da district who issued a list of wanted supporters of slain rebel Hussein Badr A-Din Al-Houthi, the London-based Al-Hayyat reported.
Al-Houthi, a radical cleric who claimed to be the messiah, led a bloody rebellion against the government last year, leaving hundreds dead.
Government forces eventually killed Al-Houthi, and clamped down on his supporters, but many of his followers remain loyal to his legacy.
It is unclear whether the people who attacked the police patrol were affiliated with Al-Houthi, or whether they are connected to Al-Qa’ida, who are also a target of Yemen’s security forces as part of the country’s war on terror.
Last month Yemenite President ‘Ali ‘Abdallah ‘Salih announced a general amnesty for more than 700 rebel Al-Houthi supporters who fought against the Yemenite army last year and earlier this year.
Local authorities told Al-Hayyat that Al-Houthi supporters are still at large in various districts and accumulating large caches of weapons and ammunition.