Najaf council asserts no Houthis’ office in province

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Chairman of the Najaf provincial council, Sheikh Faed al-Shemri, said on Wednesday that there is no office of Houthis in the province. This came one day after statements made by MP Jenan al-Ubeidi, who said that “the presence of an office of al-Houthi group in Najaf does not mean that Shiites in the province support armed violence in Yemen.” “The council asserted that there is no office of Houthis in the province and expressed astonishment regarding al-Ubeidi’s statements,” said a statement received by Iraqi News. Al-Ubeidi had voiced astonishment regarding summoning the Iraqi ambassador in Sanaa by the Yemeni government, which protest Iraqi statements on battles in Saada. The lawmaker denied Iraq’s interference in the Yemeni internal affair. SH (P) 1