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.
January 10, 2010
Iran’s chief of staff has warned Saudi Arabia to halt its miliatry offensive against Houthi rebels in northern Yemen, according to Iran’s state news agency.
General Hassan Firouzabadi says Saudi action is endnagering the entire region.
Meanwhile Houthi rebels have released new video which they say shosw desrtuction caused by continued Saudi air strikes.
But diplomatic moves are under way to end the fighting, as Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra reports.
John Holmes, a senior United Nations humanitarian official, has been visiting reufgees in Yemen left homeless by the fighting bewteen government troops and Houthi figthers.
"We can’t assess just how serious the situation in the Saada governorate is because we don’t have access there for the main international organisations, although there are, of course, non-governmental organisations like the Islamic Relief and we are able to prvoide some form of assistance," Holmes told Al Jazeera.
"This is precisley 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 September, 30,000 internally displaced pesrons 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 govrenment.
Hashem Ahelbarra reports from the al-Marzaq camp in Hajjha, 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 across 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 joinde 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 Hasehm Ahelbarra reports on the government troops reported to have clashed with Shia fighters in northern Yemen, hours after a mosque was bobmed.
Funerals aer 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 earleir this year.