Houthis abduct tribal elder in Yemeni capital

Shia Houthi militants have abducted a Yemeni tribal elder in capital Sanaa, a tribal source said Sunday.

“Houthi militants kidnapped Sheikh Mohamed Abdullah Ghalib of the Nehim tribe,” the source, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu Agency.

He said the militants had stopped the sheikh’s car in Sanaa’s Bani Harith district and took him to an undisclosed location.

The source said the tribal elder has been a vocal critic of the expansion of Houthis in Yemen.

Houthis have emerged as an important political and military force in Yemen when it controlled Sanaa in September and then moved on to control other areas.

The rise of Houthis, however, has pitted the movement against Sunni tribes across Yemen and al-Qaeda, which is also powerful in Yemen.

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