20 soldiers killed in clashes in Yemen capital

Fresh clashes between the army and Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital have left at least 20 soldiers dead, tribal and medical sources said on Wednesday.

A medical officer at a military hospital in downtown Sanaa told Xinhua that 20 bodies had been taken to hospital after the overnight fierce fighting was halted Wednesday afternoon.

Dozens of soldiers were wounded in the clashes, the major said on condition of anonymity.

Neither the government nor the army has commented on the fighting, the latest in an escalating conflict between the government and Houthi rebels.

Local residents in Shamlan area, where clashes were seen, said both sides used heavy weapons and a series of explosions were heard overnight.

They said the rebels attacked a military checkpoint on a road leading to central Sanaa, while the Houthi group accused the army of attacking the "peaceful" protestors.

Tribal sources told Xinhua that the army had withdrawn from Shamlan area which was then taken control of by the rebels.

The casualties of Houthi rebels and civilians are not known.

The deadly clashes broke out as negotiations between the Sunni-dominated government and the Shia Houthi group run into deadlock after the rebels walked away from talks on a solution to end the crisis Monday, saying there was "foreign intervention".

The Houthi fighters have been camping inside and around Sanaa since early August, demanding ouster of the government and restoration of fuel subsidies cut by the government in late July as part of economic reforms.

Protestors also cut main roads to Sanaa International Airport and staged sit-ins in front of several ministries in the past weeks.

The protests intensified after President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi made an announcement earlier this month that he would replace the government to end the crisis. Hadi also reduced the fuel price hike that triggered the mass protests.