Two soldiers and a civilian were killed Saturday in clashes with tribal insurgents in eastern Yemen over the reparation of a major electricity grid, local sources said.
The fighting began when authorities insisted on repairing the grid in the eastern Mareb province, despite opposition from local tribesmen who regard the facility as illegal, the sources told dpa on condition of anonymity, dpa reported.
Angry locals have repeatedly attacked the grid, forcing the government to send troops to protect technicians carrying out the maintenance, the sources added.
Mareb and other Yemeni areas have suffered frequent blackouts in the past months due to attacks on electricity stations, local media reported.
President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi met the governor of Mareb and military commanders in the area on Saturday and discussed measures to stop "criminal attacks" on electricity and oil pipeline facilities, state news agency SABA reported.