Five soldiers and an army captain were killed when the Yemeni army launched attacks on rebels in the country's mountainous northwestern region, local media reported on Saturday.

The government troops started assaulting the rebels on Saturday near Saada, about 180 km north of Yemen's capital Sanaa, according to a local tribal chief, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The past week has seen 22 people killed, 16 of which were government troops, in the battles with rebels in the region.

The Yemeni government refused to comment on the event, and the military authorities have banned any reporters form entering the battle zone.

The fighting was a backlash of the rebellion attack on government troops in September 2004 led by Shiite Muslim cleric Hussein Badr Eddin al-Hawthi, who was then killed in the battles, but his followers have continued their minority rebellion.

Al-Hawthi was known for his strong anti-U.S. views and had been charged with sedition, creating an illegal armed group and attacking government installations and forces.

Source: Xinhua