[10/October/2009]  

SANA'A, Oct.10 (Saba) - President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Saturday that the state would not be tolerant toward the terrorist and sabotage gang, calling upon the air forces individuals to be alert and careful.

During his visit to al-Dilami Air Base in the capital Sana'a, Saleh got acquainted with conditions of the base leaders and soldiers as well as the progress in training programs in the base.

He hailed the good performance of the air forces which represent the long hand of the armed forces and the country, asking God to have mercy upon martyrs of the armed and security forces and recovery for injured.

Meanwhile, Saleh pointed to the air forces role for the sake of defending the revolution, the republic and the unity as well as razing the strongholds of al-Houthi rebels.

Furthermore, President Saleh indicated the terrorist and criminal acts committed by al-Houthi rebels including killing, kidnapping and dislodging citizens and causing moving about 120,000 people from their homes in Saada province.

Al- Houthi rebels have been launching intermittent wars against the troops since 2004.

Since the fighting erupted in 2004, thousands of people, soldiers and insurgents have been killed in Saada province, after the rebel group was founded by rebel leader Hussein al- Houthi.

Hussein, the eldest brother of the current group leader Abdul-Malik, was killed by the army in September 2004.

The Yemeni government accuses the Houthi group of trying to reinstall the rule of imams, which was toppled by a republican revolution in northern Yemen in 1962.

BA