Monday, October 17, 2011

Yemen uprising: Sana'a rocked by night of fierce fighting



Protesters are writing their names across their chests for identification in case they are killed in anti-Saleh marches

Tom Finn in Sana'a
guardian.co.uk, Monday 17 October 2011

"Yemen's capital has been rocked by a night of deafening explosions and gunfire as troops loyal to the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, battled with rebel tribesmen and defected soldiers for control of the city.

The violence was some of the fiercest in months and has prompted fears that the fate of the country's nine-month civilian uprising may be sliding into the hands of Yemen's fractious armed forces.....

A brutal crackdown by security forces on a pair of mass rallies over the weekend has turned into a full-blown military confrontation between the Republican Guard – an elite force headed by Saleh's son Ahmed – and the 1st armoured division, headed by General Ali Mohsin al-Ahmar who defected to the opposition in March. On Sunday night the two sides started firing mortars and anti-aircraft missiles at each other's military bases, sending plumes of black smoke rising above the city....."

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