Sanaa, Yemen (AP) — Security officials say Shiite rebels have reached a suburb of Yemen’s capital where they are fighting Sunni militias and besieging a university run by one of the nation’s best known Sunni radicals.

The officials say Thursday’s fighting in Shamlan has forced thousands to flee their homes, but they have no word on casualties. They say the rebels, known as Hawthis, are surrounding the Iman University, an institution long viewed as a primary breeding ground for militants.

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