Yemeni president wounded in attack
Source: Agencies |
June 4, 2011, Saturday
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Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was wounded when opposition tribesmen attacked his palace with rockets yesterday in a major escalation of nearly two weeks of fighting with government forces. At least four guards were killed and seven top officials were wounded.
Saleh suffered light injuries to his neck and was treated at the palace, an official said. Yemeni state TV quickly aired a statement that Saleh was "in good health," denying claims on an opposition TV station that the president had been killed.
It was the first time tribal fighters had directly targeted Saleh's palace in fighting that has rocked the capital Sanaa since May 23. The rocket strike came after government forces launched an intense artillery barrage at the homes of two tribal leaders and a top military general who had joined the opposition. The houses were flattened, witnesses said.
The fighting pits Saleh's troops against tribesmen loyal to Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar, head of the Hashid, Yemen's most powerful tribal confederation. Al-Ahmar supports the hundreds of thousands of protesters who have been pressing for Saleh to go since February.
The rockets hit the presidential compound as officials were praying at a mosque inside, the official said.
Among the wounded were the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, the parliament speaker and the governor of Sanaa, the official said. The most serious injuries were to Sanaa's governor Nooman Dweid, and Deputy Prime Minister Rashad al-Alimi, who is also the president's top security adviser and who remained unconscious from his wounds, the official said.
Saleh, in power for 33 years, has stuck out for months against the wave of protests that spread across Yemen since February. Tens of thousands of demonstrators continue to mass daily in a central square in Sanaa, as well as in other cities.
But the fighting in Sanaa has turned the conflict into an all-out battle for power between two families, the al-Ahmar and Saleh's. The president has for years put close relatives in command of security forces and in top government positions.
In days of fighting, tribesmen have overrun more than a dozen ministries and government buildings, and government artillery has pounded Sanaa's Hassaba district where Sadeq al-Ahmar's residence is located.
Yesterday, troops expanded their shelling to the southern side of the capital, pounding the homes of two of al-Ahmar's brothers, Hameed and Himyar.
They also targeted the home of General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, commander of the 1st Armored Division. He joined the opposition but has so far stayed out of the battle.
Saleh suffered light injuries to his neck and was treated at the palace, an official said. Yemeni state TV quickly aired a statement that Saleh was "in good health," denying claims on an opposition TV station that the president had been killed.
It was the first time tribal fighters had directly targeted Saleh's palace in fighting that has rocked the capital Sanaa since May 23. The rocket strike came after government forces launched an intense artillery barrage at the homes of two tribal leaders and a top military general who had joined the opposition. The houses were flattened, witnesses said.
The fighting pits Saleh's troops against tribesmen loyal to Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar, head of the Hashid, Yemen's most powerful tribal confederation. Al-Ahmar supports the hundreds of thousands of protesters who have been pressing for Saleh to go since February.
The rockets hit the presidential compound as officials were praying at a mosque inside, the official said.
Among the wounded were the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, the parliament speaker and the governor of Sanaa, the official said. The most serious injuries were to Sanaa's governor Nooman Dweid, and Deputy Prime Minister Rashad al-Alimi, who is also the president's top security adviser and who remained unconscious from his wounds, the official said.
Saleh, in power for 33 years, has stuck out for months against the wave of protests that spread across Yemen since February. Tens of thousands of demonstrators continue to mass daily in a central square in Sanaa, as well as in other cities.
But the fighting in Sanaa has turned the conflict into an all-out battle for power between two families, the al-Ahmar and Saleh's. The president has for years put close relatives in command of security forces and in top government positions.
In days of fighting, tribesmen have overrun more than a dozen ministries and government buildings, and government artillery has pounded Sanaa's Hassaba district where Sadeq al-Ahmar's residence is located.
Yesterday, troops expanded their shelling to the southern side of the capital, pounding the homes of two of al-Ahmar's brothers, Hameed and Himyar.
They also targeted the home of General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, commander of the 1st Armored Division. He joined the opposition but has so far stayed out of the battle.
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