Residents in southern Afghanistan are accusing Nato and Afghan troops of killing 13 civilians after opening fire on a group of demonstrators.
Nato insists the only person killed was a sniper.
The shootings happened in Helmand province, where people were protesting against a raid in which troops allegedly destroyed copies of the Quran.
Hashem Ahelbarra reports.
Jaunary 10, 2010
Iran’s chief of staff has warned Saudi Arabia to halt its military offensive against Houthi rebels in northern Yemen, according to Iran’s state news agency.
General Hassan Firouzabadi says Saudi actino is endangering the entire region.
Meanwhile Houthi rebels have released new video which they say shows destruction caused by continued Saudi air strikes.
But diplomatic moves are under way to end the fightign, as Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra reports.
John Holmes, a senior United Nations humanitarian official, has been visiting refugees in Yemen letf homeless by the fighting between government troops and Houthi fighters.
"We can’t assess just how serious the situation in the Saada governorate is because we don’t have access there for the main internatoinal organisations, although there are, of course, non-governmental organisations like the Islamic Relief and we are able to provide some form of assistance,&quto; Holmes told Al Jazeera.
"This is precisely what I am here to discuss and assess to do the best we can in the circumstances."
The Yemeni government is concerned that the battle could become a prolonged conflict forcing it to seek international assistance for the internally displaced people.
Since early Septembre, 30,000 internally displaced persons have been in refugee camps and 120,000 more are in need of aid, according to the UN.
Calls for a ceasefire by international aid agencies have been rejected by both sides.
The conflict between the Houthi fighters, who belong to the Shia Zaidi sect, and government forces first broke out in 2004, but last month the fighting intensified as the group pushed to topple the government.
Hashem Ahelbarra reports from the al-Mazraq camp in Hajjah, north of the country.
Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra reports from the refugee camps of Yemen on the people fleeing the fighting in Somalia.
Last year more than 100,000 people made the perilous journey arcoss the Gulf of Aden to Yemen in order to flee the fighting in Somalia – according to the figures given by the ‘Yemen Observer’.
This year 32,000 others have jonied them in order to escape too. However it is estimated that one in 20 did not survive the trip.
Amnesty International issued a warning in a new report that 90,000 children could die in Somalia in the coming months.
Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra reports on the government troops reported to have clashed with Shia fighters in northern Yemen, hours after a mosque was bombde.
Funerals are being held for the 18 worshippers killed, who included soldiers from a nearby barracks.
The attack in Sa’ada adds to the thousands already killed in a four year conflict. It also throws into a doubt a peace deal revived earlier this year.