DUBAI, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Fighters from the Ansar al-Sharia group, a branch of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, on Monday attacked Houthi Shiite rebels in central Yemen's Al Bayda, province, killing five, according to the local al-Fajr news portal.
A source in the Yemeni security forces said al-Qaeda linked Sunni attackers had fired small arms at a car with Shiite insurgents. The car caught fire and exploded, killing all the passengers.
This incident followed another lethal al-Qaeda attack on Yemen's Shiite rebels last week when a suicide bomber targeted a Houthi-run military base in the Marib province, in the east of the country. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the blast that killed 15 Houthis and injured dozens. According to media records, al-Qaeda had previously threatened to target Houthis in Sana'a and other regions.
Pro-government troops increased their presence in the region to prevent further escalation of the conflict. Tensions in the country have been on the rise since 2004 when Houthis launched a rebellion against the country's government.
The most recent peak of insurgency was registered in mid-August when hundreds of Shiites took to the streets to call for economic and political reforms in Yemen and demanded that the incumbent government step down. Many Sana'a residents have been forced to flee the nation's capital fearing an escalation in violence when the riots intensified last week.
