Officials: Shiite rebels arrest Yemen's defense minister
March 25, 2015 6:52 am
• Last Updated: March 25, 2015 10:38 am
In this March 21, 2015, photo, Members of a militia group loyal to Yemen's President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, known as the Popular Committees, chew qat as they sit next to their tank, guarding a major intersection in Aden, Yemen. Once hailed by President Barack Obama as a model for fighting extremism, the U.S. counterterrorism strategy in Yemen has all but collapsed as the country descends into chaos, according to U.S. and Yemeni officials. (AP Photo/Hamza Hendawi, File)
SANAA, Yemen — Authorities say Shiite rebels have arrested Yemen's defense minister.
The Shiite rebels and officials loyal to embattled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi both say that Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Mahmoud al-Subaihi was arrested with his top aide.
They say the minister was captured while fighting the Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, in Yemen's southern Lahj provinces.
The arrest comes as Hadi fled his palace in Aden for an undisclosed location Wednesday.
The Shiite rebels earlier seized a major air base only 60 kilometers (35 miles) away from Aden, the port city where Hadi had established a temporary capital.
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