Friday, 23 December 2011
Anti-government protesters perform Friday prayers during a rally to demand the trial of outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sana’a. (Reuters)
Loyalists of Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday attacked demonstrators gathered south of the capital calling for the leader’s trial, a protest organizer told AFP.
Assailants, some of whom were armed, attacked a group of 2,000 demonstrators in Hizyaz, a suburb south of Sana’a, before they could join a rally headed to the capital, said Mondher al-Asbahi.
“Dozens of demonstrators were wounded, struck by stones, and one was hit by a bullet,” said Asbahi, a member of a Taez youth group organizing the rally.
The “March for Life“ procession, which kicked off in the southwestern city of Taez, has amassed tens of thousands of participants along the 270-kilometer (167 mile) road to Sana’a.
Assailants, some of whom were armed, attacked a group of 2,000 demonstrators in Hizyaz, a suburb south of Sana’a, before they could join a rally headed to the capital, said Mondher al-Asbahi.
“Dozens of demonstrators were wounded, struck by stones, and one was hit by a bullet,” said Asbahi, a member of a Taez youth group organizing the rally.
The “March for Life“ procession, which kicked off in the southwestern city of Taez, has amassed tens of thousands of participants along the 270-kilometer (167 mile) road to Sana’a.
The marchers are expected to arrive in the capital on Saturday and camp outside on Friday, according to Reuters.
Ali al-Emad, a protest organizer in Sana’a, said pro-government thugs had attacked two cars and loudspeakers of protesters in Sana’a who intend to meet the Taez marchers when they arrive at the edge of the city.
Tribesmen are escorting them to ensure the security of the march, which was the target of an armed attack in the province of Dhamar, a tribal chief told AFP.
He added that Saleh’s partisans began to gather 30 kilometers south of Sana’a in bid to “block the march.”
A security services source told AFP that there were plans for military reinforcements as the march enters Sana’a to “guarantee the safety of its participants and prevent the entry of any armed participant.”
Those marching hope to pressure the new unity government to put Saleh and his chronies on trial over his government’s crackdown on opposition demonstrations, which has left hundreds dead since January.
Several demonstrations have called for Saleh to be tried for murder, nepotism and corruption, since he signed a Gulf-brokered deal which calls on him to step down in February in exchange for immunity.
Elsewhere, 10 people were killed in a sixth night of clashes pitting militants linked to al-Qaeda against Yemeni troops trying to retake Zinjibar, Abyan’s provincial capital.
“A military vehicle was ambushed by members of al-Qaeda east of Zinjibar and seven soldiers died,” a military source said.
“Three extremists were killed in a subsequent gunfight,” the source added.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni air force carried out four raids in the southern city of Jaar, also in Abyan province, he said, without being able to specify the number of casualties.
Residents, however, said four “Qaeda” militants were killed in the raid.
Government forces have been backed by tribal fighters and sometimes supported by U.S. drone strikes in their battle against the Partisans of Sharia, an insurgent group that took over most of Zinjibar in May.
Al-Qaeda has profited from the instability caused by 11 months of protests against Saleh, strengthening its positions across the south of the country.
Meanwhile, a U.S. drone attack appears to have killed a relative of al-Qaeda’s leader in Yemen, where militants have exploited opposition to Saleh this year to establish a firmer foothold, Reuters reported.
Residents in the town of Zinjibar in the southern province of Abyan said a drone had attacked a district of the town controlled by militants on Thursday evening.
They said they saw the body of a man killed in the strike who was named Abdul Rahman al-Wuhayshi.
A security source said the man was a relative of Nasser al-Wuhayshi, a Yemeni who leads al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the joint Saudi-Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda. Wuhayshi was once Osama bin Laden’s personal aide in Afghanistan.
A local official confirmed there had been a drone attack but said he did not know who had been targeted.
There was no word of any death of a leading militant on Islamist websites where al-Qaeda often announces such news.
Saudi Arabia and Western powers, who backed Saleh for years as a bulwark against al Qaeda, fear that militants could strengthen their hand in the tense transition period.
Ali al-Emad, a protest organizer in Sana’a, said pro-government thugs had attacked two cars and loudspeakers of protesters in Sana’a who intend to meet the Taez marchers when they arrive at the edge of the city.
Tribesmen are escorting them to ensure the security of the march, which was the target of an armed attack in the province of Dhamar, a tribal chief told AFP.
He added that Saleh’s partisans began to gather 30 kilometers south of Sana’a in bid to “block the march.”
A security services source told AFP that there were plans for military reinforcements as the march enters Sana’a to “guarantee the safety of its participants and prevent the entry of any armed participant.”
Those marching hope to pressure the new unity government to put Saleh and his chronies on trial over his government’s crackdown on opposition demonstrations, which has left hundreds dead since January.
Several demonstrations have called for Saleh to be tried for murder, nepotism and corruption, since he signed a Gulf-brokered deal which calls on him to step down in February in exchange for immunity.
Elsewhere, 10 people were killed in a sixth night of clashes pitting militants linked to al-Qaeda against Yemeni troops trying to retake Zinjibar, Abyan’s provincial capital.
“A military vehicle was ambushed by members of al-Qaeda east of Zinjibar and seven soldiers died,” a military source said.
“Three extremists were killed in a subsequent gunfight,” the source added.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni air force carried out four raids in the southern city of Jaar, also in Abyan province, he said, without being able to specify the number of casualties.
Residents, however, said four “Qaeda” militants were killed in the raid.
Government forces have been backed by tribal fighters and sometimes supported by U.S. drone strikes in their battle against the Partisans of Sharia, an insurgent group that took over most of Zinjibar in May.
Al-Qaeda has profited from the instability caused by 11 months of protests against Saleh, strengthening its positions across the south of the country.
Meanwhile, a U.S. drone attack appears to have killed a relative of al-Qaeda’s leader in Yemen, where militants have exploited opposition to Saleh this year to establish a firmer foothold, Reuters reported.
Residents in the town of Zinjibar in the southern province of Abyan said a drone had attacked a district of the town controlled by militants on Thursday evening.
They said they saw the body of a man killed in the strike who was named Abdul Rahman al-Wuhayshi.
A security source said the man was a relative of Nasser al-Wuhayshi, a Yemeni who leads al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the joint Saudi-Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda. Wuhayshi was once Osama bin Laden’s personal aide in Afghanistan.
A local official confirmed there had been a drone attack but said he did not know who had been targeted.
There was no word of any death of a leading militant on Islamist websites where al-Qaeda often announces such news.
Saudi Arabia and Western powers, who backed Saleh for years as a bulwark against al Qaeda, fear that militants could strengthen their hand in the tense transition period.
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