Huthi Rebels in Rare Clash with Qaida in South Yemen

Shiite rebels who descended from northern Yemen to seize parts of Sanaa have clashed with al-Qaida-linked militants hundreds of kilometers (miles) south of the capital, a U.S. monitor said Monday.

The rare clashes between the Huthi rebels and militants from the al-Qaida affiliated Ansar al-Sharia occurred over the weekend in the town of al-Dali, SITE Intelligence Group said in a statement.

The fighting broke out on Saturday when militants captured and killed a businessman linked to the Huthis, SITE reported, citing a post from a Ansar al-Sharia news account on Twitter.

According to the report, four militants from Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) were killed along with the same number of Huthis.

The next day Ansar al-Sharia militants captured eight Huthis.

Al-Dali is located 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the Yemeni capital.

The United States considers AQAP to be al-Qaida's most dangerous affiliate.

The group has taken advantage of a decline in central government control during Yemen's 2011 uprising to seize large swathes of territory across the south and southeast.

The Huthis, who launched a bid for power in the Yemeni capital last month, had waged a decade-long insurgency in their mountainous bastion in the north of the Arabian Peninsula country.

Their presence in the south is normally weak, and rarely engage in combat with AQAP militants.