Houthis take military bases

Fighters from the Shiite Houthi militia took over a special forces base in the capital and a coast guard station on the Red Sea on Wednesday, military sources said, in a sign the group was consolidating its dominant position.

The clashes at the Sanaa base started late on Tuesday when the Houthis shelled the camp with heavy weapons. Fighting lasted six hours, soldiers from the camp said, and at least 10 people were killed.

The troops had been trained and equipped by the United States as an elite counterterrorism unit during the rule of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted in 2011, military sources said.