Shiite Houthi militants patrol the vicinity of a venue where a mass funeral for victims of a suicide attack on followers of the Shi’ite Houthi group was being held in Sanaa October 14, 2014.

More than 20 Houthis were killed in clashes between Shiite rebels and al-Qaeda militants in the central region of Rada in Yemen, Al Arabiya News Channel correspondent reported.

Twelve rebels had been captured following today’s clashes the correspondent said adding that a car bomb had exploded overnight near a house where Houthis gathered.

The Houthis continue to attempt to expand their control over Yemen and have clashed with both Sunni tribesman and al-Qaeda militants in the process.

“Following the explosions, al-Qaeda fighters attacked the rebels, deployed northeast of Rada and along a road” connecting the town in Baida province to neighboring Dhamar, a Shiite-populated province seized last week by the rebels, a tribal official told Agence France-Presse.

The Houthis have already overrun the capital Sanaa and the Red Sea port city of Hudeida, with almost no resistance, as they seek greater political clout in the country.

They easily captured Dhamar, where they have the support of most of the population, but have met fierce resistance from tribes in Baida and Sunni-majority Ibb.

Yemen has been dogged by political instability since an Arab Spring-inspired uprising forced veteran strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh from power in 2012.

 
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