Yemen's Houthis abduct 16 from religious school

Houthi militants have stormed a religious school in the central Yemeni province of Ibb and abducted 16 people from inside, eyewitnesses said on Thursday.

Dozens of Houthi militants forced their way into the Quranic School in provincial capital Yarim and took the school's director and 15 students to an unknown location, eye-witnesses told the Turkish Anadolu Agency.

The incident came less than an hour after an anti-Houthi march in the nearby town of Dhamar was dispersed with force by Houthi fighters, according to a local journalist.

A number of the participants in the march were abducted and taken to an unknown location, according to Yemeni journalist Mareb al-Ward.

The Houthi group is yet to comment on the incidents.

Houthi fighters have attacked several religious schools across Yemen in recent months, alleging that the schools, which had thousands of students and attract many from abroad, act as a haven for extremist teaching.

Fractious Yemen has remained in the throes of turmoil since the ouster of long-serving President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012.

The Houthi group, which fought a six-year war against the central government that ended in 2011, took control of Sanaa in September and has since tried to extend its influence to other parts of the country.

This has brought the group into conflict with local tribes as well as al-Qaeda – many fear that the growing power vacuum will lead to gains for the militant group.

Since 25 March, warplanes from states participating in a Saudi-led campaign have pounded Houthi positions across the crisis-hit country.

Riyadh says the campaign comes in response to appeals by embattled Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi – who is currently in Saudi Arabia – to "save the [Yemeni] people from the Houthi militias."

The Houthis, for their part, have decried the offensive, describing it as unwarranted "Saudi-American aggression" against Yemen.