4 Yemeni soldiers killed despite ceasefire

Sanaa, Aug 15 Yemen's internationally-recognized government announced that four soldiers were killed by the Houthi rebel militia despite the ongoing truce brokered by the UN in the war-ravaged country.

According to a statement released on Sunday night by the Aden-based government, the Iranian-backed Houthi militia committed 235 violations of the UN armistice in eight provinces in the past three days, reports Xinhua news agenct.

The Houthis used Katyusha rockets, artillery shells and booby-trapped drones to attack military sites controlled by the pro-government forces in various Yemeni regions, killing four soldiers of the pro-government forces and injuring another 19, it added.

The current truce went into force for the first time on April 2 and was renewed for two months on June 2, and then extended for an additional two months on August 2.

Although the truce has largely been upheld, the internationally-recognised government and the Houthi militia frequently trade accusations of violations that include sporadic armed attacks.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor