One soldier, 10 Houthis killed in Yemen clashes

Eleven people have been killed in fresh clashes between Yemen army forces, backed by armed tribesmen, and Shiite Houthi militants in the northern Al-Jawf province.

"An army soldier and ten Houthi militants were killed in clashes in the Al-Gheil district," a local official told Anadolu Agency on Thursday, requesting anonymity.

He said the clashes had erupted late Wednesday and continued until the morning.

Spokesmen for the Houthi group were not immediately available for comment.

The group, however, usually declines to disclose the number of casualties it sustains.

Clashes first erupted in Al-Jawf in April, resulting in casualties on both sides.

A few weeks ago, a presidential mediation committee succeeded in brokering a temporary ceasefire between the warring camps – but this proved short-lived.

Al-Jawf is strategically important in that it is located near Yemen's eastern Maarib province, the centre of the country's oil production.

Yemen has been dogged by turmoil since pro-democracy protests forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 2012 after 33 years in power.