Yemen soldiers killed in 'al-Qaeda-held town'

At least six soldiers ambushed in Zinjibar hours after security forces opened fire on protesters in Taiz, killing 20. Last Modified: 29 May 2011 22:30

Anti-government demonstrators have been holding protests for weeks in several cities across Yemen [AFP] At least six Yemeni soldiers have been killed and dozens injured in an apparent ambush as they travelled to Zinjibar, a southern city reportedly under the control of al-Qaeda fighters, a security official has said. According to residents, Yemeni warplanes later targeted positions held by the fighters. Earlier on Sunday, residents spoke of up to 300 fighters entering Zinjibar and taking over "everything". The fighters were alleged to be al-Qaeda members. Opposition leaders accuse Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's embattled president under pressure to quit and end his 33-year rule, of allowing Zinjibar on the Gulf of Aden, to fall to al-Qaeda and allied fighters in order to raise alarm in the region that would in turn win him support. The security official who spoke about the attack in Zinjibar said he not did not know who was responsible and gave no figures of the injured soldiers. Elsewhere in the troubled country swept by anti-government protests, at least 20 people were killed in the southern city of Taiz after soldiers opened fire indscriminately on a protest camp, a source said. They did not give further details on the violence in Taiz, but said the death toll was likely to rise. Ashraf Khandari, a journalist based in Aden, said protesters were sprayed with live bullets and hot water, adding that "a lot of people" had been killed. The latest unrest came days after troops loyal to Saleh clashed with Hashed tribesmen who support the opposition. Tents burnt down A tenuous truce was reported on Sunday, but unrest erupted when security forces tried to storm Taiz's Liberty Square, where hundreds of anti-government demonstrators have been camped for days. The security forces set fire to some tents of the protesters and fired water cannons and tear gas at the crowd, Al Jazeera correspondents said early on Monday. The violence in Taiz came as seven explosions were heard north of the capital, Sanaa, on Sunday, according to local residents. "There are a number of explosions, heavy explosions, that have shaken the area," Mohamed al-Qadhi, a Yemeni journalist, told Al Jazeera by phone from Sanaa. "We have also heard heavy gunfire exchanged between the two sides. We cannot exactly figure out where the explosions have taken place." Separately, rocket attacks by government forces were reported in the tribal area of Arhab in south Yemen where fighting has taken place in the past, Al Jazeera's correspondents said. People were fleeing the area, but there were no reports of casualties as yet. Deal rejected Saleh has refused to sign a deal, mediated by Gulf Arab states, to start a transition of power aimed at averting civil war in Yemen. A breakaway military group called for other army units to join them in the fight to bring down Saleh, piling pressure on him to end his rule over the destitute country. Generals and government officials began to abandon Saleh after deadly crackdowns on protesters started in force in March. There have been no major clashes yet between the breakaway military units and troops loyal to Saleh. Yemen borders Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, and sits along a shipping lane through which about three million barrels of oil pass daily.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies