Five people were killed, including three soldiers, and 11 people injured during clashes in Yemen's Amran province "between militants and military personnel", Shawa.Net reports.

Shooting is said to have broken out when the "militants" set up road blocks in protest at non-payment of "allowances for their participation as volunteers in Saada war".

Amran was one of the provinces affected by the recent Houthi conflict. Various militias and unofficial bands of fighters joined the war on the government's side and the unidentified "militant" group is presumably one of them.

In the southern city of Dhali' two military offices died on Sunday when their vehicle was attacked – apparently by separatists. The National says two of the attackers were also killed.

Meanwhile, the authorities say they have arrested the leader of the group that attacked the intelligence headquarters in Aden on Saturday. He has been named as Goudol Mohammed Ali Naji and is said to be a member of al-Qaeda. Despite eyewitness reports that the attackers released a number prisoners, the authorities now say there were no detainees in the building at the time

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 21 June 2010.