South24 | Taiz 

Four people were killed and five others wounded during armed clashes, Wednesday, due to land dispute in the "Bir Basha" area, which is under the control of the Yemeni government, in Taiz Governorate, North Yemen.

Al-Masdar Online said that "four people from "Al-Harq" family were kidnapped," after the killing of "Majed Al-Araj", who was "leading a gang" to loot lands, according to the Yemeni news website.1

The deputy police director in the region, "Issam Al-Harq", had carried out a security campaign against the "gang", according to the website.

Local activists said that Majid al-Araj is a military commander in the 170th Brigade of the Yemeni government, and that he is affiliated with the Islah party, which controls parts of the city.

The local Al-Shari' newspaper 2 reported, on Wednesday, that the "Taiz Military Axis" was behind the attack, which left casualties.

The newspaper said, quoting a security source, "In the meantime, the Bir Basha area is witnessing a wide spread of armed men, armed with heavy weapons, amid raids on homes in the "Amad" neighborhood to search for the rest of the "Al-Harq" family.

Activists published video clips showing dead bodies being dragged into the street.

"The burning family, which was subjected to extermination in the city of Taiz, will remain a living witness to the failure of the Yemeni Islah party to provide a model for state administration", said a local activist in Taiz.

Anas Al-Qubati tweeted that the "gang" that committed the crime "belongs to the Taiz Military Axis." Al-Qabati published pictures, which he claim were for the house that was attacked, showing traces of gunfire in the place.

(١)#أسرة_الحرق التي تعرضت للابادة في #مدينة_تعز، ستظل   شاهد حي على فشل #التجمع_اليمني_للاصلاح في تقديم نموذج لادارة الدولة. pic.twitter.com/t00FbRkXRv

— أنس القباطي (@anas770879393) August 12, 2021

On the other hand, the security committee in Taiz governorate announced on Wednesday that it had banned work in idle lands for a year, and all wanted would be prosecuted inside and outside the besieged city in western Yemen.3

Taiz governorate is witnessing widespread security chaos, after the Islamists took control of the non-Houthi-controlled parts of the city, and the assassination of opposition military leaders in December 2019.

According to local activists, there are armed military groups in the city, which were recently established by a prominent Islah party leader, Hamoud Al-Mekhlafi‎, and are not officially subject to the government.

The Yemeni Islah party and the Houthis have shared control over Taiz governorate for years. Tens of thousands were displaced from the city due to the war, and hundreds were killed and wounded. 

Photo: Pro-government tribal fighters patrol a street during a visit by a UN delegation to the war-torn southwestern city of Taiz, Yemen, April 9, 2017. - REUTERS/Anees Mahyoub