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Yemeni forces raid opposition camp
Source: Agencies |
September 25, 2011, Sunday
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GOVERNMENT forces attacked an opposition protest camp in Sanaa overnight after President Ali Abdullah Saleh returned to Yemen from a three-month absence and at least 17 protesters and soldiers were killed, witnesses and protesters said yesterday.
Hundreds fled from the midnight raid on the "Change Square" camp and mortar and sniper fire continued through the morning.
Flashes of light and loud explosions enveloped the area, the heart of an uprising where thousands have camped for eight months calling for Saleh to quit power.
Protesters said the attacking forces included the elite Republican Guard and Central Security forces. Interior Minister Muttahar al-Masri, however, denied that a raid took place, blaming the gunfire on "extremists."
"They were striking all night. We couldn't sleep because of the firing," said a protester named Mohammad. "The buildings around us were shaking. Look at the chaos that Saleh's return has caused. These thugs were encouraged by his return."
Saleh, who went to neighboring Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in June for wounds suffered in an assassination attempt, said he wanted a truce to end days of fighting in the capital. This would allow peace talks to take place, he said.
Dove of peace
"I return to the nation carrying the dove of peace and the olive branch," Saleh was quoted as saying by state television.
At least six protesters have been killed since last night, according to a doctor at a mosque converted into a field hospital. Also killed were 11 soldiers from the First Armored Division, led by General Ali Mohsen who defected and sided with protesters, according to a source in the generals' office.
"They're trying to take over the end of the square," said one wounded soldier from the First Armored Division, who was in a hospital with a bandaged arm and facial wounds.
Dozens of wounded streamed into makeshift clinics. Some of the bodies were badly mangled, a medic said.
Protesters in the opposition encampment on the four-kilometer stretch of avenue they have dubbed "Change Square" said some buildings and tents were on fire and that protesters had retreated by about half a kilometer.
Saleh's reappearance raised questions over the future of the Arabian Peninsula state, which has been rocked since January by protests against his 33-year rule.
In Washington, the Obama administration called for Saleh to hand over power and arrange for a presidential election by the end of the year.
"The Yemeni people have suffered enough and deserve a path towards a better future," United States spokesman Jay Carney said in Washington.
Protesters escalated their marches in Sanaa last week by entering territory controlled by state forces, triggering a battle between loyalist and pro-opposition troops. About 100 protesters were killed in five days of bloodshed.
Hundreds fled from the midnight raid on the "Change Square" camp and mortar and sniper fire continued through the morning.
Flashes of light and loud explosions enveloped the area, the heart of an uprising where thousands have camped for eight months calling for Saleh to quit power.
Protesters said the attacking forces included the elite Republican Guard and Central Security forces. Interior Minister Muttahar al-Masri, however, denied that a raid took place, blaming the gunfire on "extremists."
"They were striking all night. We couldn't sleep because of the firing," said a protester named Mohammad. "The buildings around us were shaking. Look at the chaos that Saleh's return has caused. These thugs were encouraged by his return."
Saleh, who went to neighboring Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in June for wounds suffered in an assassination attempt, said he wanted a truce to end days of fighting in the capital. This would allow peace talks to take place, he said.
Dove of peace
"I return to the nation carrying the dove of peace and the olive branch," Saleh was quoted as saying by state television.
At least six protesters have been killed since last night, according to a doctor at a mosque converted into a field hospital. Also killed were 11 soldiers from the First Armored Division, led by General Ali Mohsen who defected and sided with protesters, according to a source in the generals' office.
"They're trying to take over the end of the square," said one wounded soldier from the First Armored Division, who was in a hospital with a bandaged arm and facial wounds.
Dozens of wounded streamed into makeshift clinics. Some of the bodies were badly mangled, a medic said.
Protesters in the opposition encampment on the four-kilometer stretch of avenue they have dubbed "Change Square" said some buildings and tents were on fire and that protesters had retreated by about half a kilometer.
Saleh's reappearance raised questions over the future of the Arabian Peninsula state, which has been rocked since January by protests against his 33-year rule.
In Washington, the Obama administration called for Saleh to hand over power and arrange for a presidential election by the end of the year.
"The Yemeni people have suffered enough and deserve a path towards a better future," United States spokesman Jay Carney said in Washington.
Protesters escalated their marches in Sanaa last week by entering territory controlled by state forces, triggering a battle between loyalist and pro-opposition troops. About 100 protesters were killed in five days of bloodshed.
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