Yemeni rebels freed at least 170 government soldiers and tribal fighters Wednesday after Sana'a accused them of dragging their feet on implementing a truce deal to end a northern war, both sides said. The move came a day after a top Yemeni security body said the rebels were not fully complying with a deal struck in February to end a conflict that has raged on and off since 2004. While a step forward, the release highlighted differences that remain between the sides, with a military official saying more government prisoners were still being held and the rebels demanding the state free imprisoned insurgents. “The truce committee received 170 detainees, some military and others tribesmen who fought alongside the forces during the latest clashes,” the military official said. “There are still many detainees being held by the rebels.” The prisoners were handed over in the northern province of Saada, the scene of most of the fighting, and would be moved to Sana'a Thursday, Al-Arabiya television reported. “We closed the prisoner file by freeing 180 captive soldiers, and we hope the authorities will live up to their obligations and free prisoners jailed since the first (phase of the) war,” said rebel spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Salam, whose account of the number freed was higher than Sana'a's estimate. Al Arabiya had reported civilians were among those freed. But the military official said all prisoners were combatants, either directly for the military or fighting alongside it.
