At least 26 people were killed in Shaab, Arhab, 40 Kilometers northeast of the capital Sana’a, when republican guard forces attacked villages in a hunt down for tribal fighters.
At least 14 of the killed were children and women eyewitnesses said.
Bodies of children lay on the ground and little has been done for the injured to get medical attention. “The government is killing our children and wives only because we joined the Yemeni revolution and refused the oppression of the government,” said Saleh Mosleh, a father of four who lost a child on Tuesday.
The Yemeni government is claiming that the tribes attacked governmental property and attempted to takeover three military sites in the district. “The fighters are not civilians. They are attacking government forces,” said Abdu Ganadi, the spokesperson for the Yemeni government.
Eyewitnesses said that tribal fighters killed at least 15 republican guards in clashes since Sunday night.
Tribes damaged at least 4 tanks and armoed vehicles on Tuesday.
Tribal fighters said that government forces took down nearly all the houses in the village of Shaab and has damaged more than 400 houses in Arhab district over the last two months.
Clashes in Arhab have been ongoing since June when tribes went against the government and joined opposition forces demanding the ousting of President Saleh from power.