11 killed in clashes in Yemen's Taiz

SANAA

Six government forces and five Houthi rebels were killed in clashes in the southwestern Taiz province, the Yemeni military said on Saturday.

A military statement said a senior rebel commander was among those killed in the clashes, without giving any further details.

There was no comment from the Houthi group on the claim.

The center of Taiz is currently held by Yemeni government forces while clashes are still raging on between the two sides on the city's outskirts.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Since then, tens of thousands of Yemenis, including numerous civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, while another 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara