YEMEN'S HOUTHIS ATTACK OIL REFINERY IN ADEN

The refinery in Aden has not been receiving any oil via the port, but it still has 1.2 million tonnes of crude in storage and also gas tanks. (Photo: Al Jazeera file)

Aden, 12 Ramadhan 1436/29 June 2015 (MINA) – Houthi forces have fired missiles at storage tanks at an Aden oil refinery, starting a large fire, witnesses in the southern Yemeni port city have told the Reuters news agency.

Video footage showed black smoke billowing over the facility in Aden’s Buraiqah district on Saturday.

An Al Jazeera source confirmed the attack, and reported that at least one person, an employee at the refinery, was killed.

Both the port and the refinery in Aden are controlled by pro-government fighters, and the area has seen fierce clashes between rival forces, Al Jazeera quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The refinery in Aden has not been receiving any oil via the port, but it still has 1.2 million tonnes of crude in storage and also gas tanks.

Meanwhile, a government official told the AFP news agency that the rebels also targeted a Qatari vessel carrying food supplies from Djibouti, a hub for Yemen-bound humanitarian aid, and that the attack forced it to turn back.

The minority Houthis have been battling the Yemeni government for months, taking control of major cities, including the capital Sanaa. (T/P001/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)