Yemeni troops kills rebel cleric in clash

The defence and interior ministries said in a joint statement that the death of Sheikh Hussein Badr Eddin al-Huthi had brought the deadly rebellion to an end and that all military operations in the vast Saada province near the border with Saudi Arabia had now ceased.

Some of the rebel preacher's supporters were also killed while others surrendered, the statement said.

A defence ministry source told AFP that Huthi had been hiding out with supporters in a cave in Jarf Salman, a village in the rugged moun|ains of Maran, which lies in Saada, and was killed during the culmination of three days of intense fighting.

Jarf Salman had been under siege since late August as the army closed in on Huthi, a cleric from the Zaidi M}slim sect, and his armed supporters.

The source said Huthi's top aide Abdullah Ayedh al-Razami and his supporters were still being pursued in the towns of Nashoor and Al-Shafiya, both right on the border with Saudi Arabia.

Witnesses in the area told AFP that clashes continued until late Thursday between those holed out with Razami and the army.

Military sources said they expect Razami to be arrested within days.