Yemen Demo Attacked, 7 Troops Killed in Ambush
Loyalists of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday attacked demonstrators gathered south of the capital calling for the leader's trial, a protest organizer told Agence France Presse.
Further south, in Abyan province, seven soldiers were killed late Thursday near Zinjibar in an ambush by al-Qaida suspects, a military source said, adding three militants were also killed in subsequent fighting.
Assailants, some of whom were armed, attacked a group of 2,000 demonstrators in Hizyaz, a suburb south of Sanaa, 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 road to Sanaa.
The demonstration is likely to reach the capital on Saturday, Asbahi said.
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 Sanaa in bid to "block the march."
A security services source told AFP that there were plans for military reinforcements as the march enters Sanaa 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 cronies 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-Qaida against Yemeni troops trying to retake Zinjibar, Abyan's provincial capital.
"A military vehicle was ambushed by members of al-Qaida 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 "Qaida" 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-Qaida has profited from the instability caused by 11 months of protests against Saleh, strengthening its positions across the south of the country.
Source: Agence France Presse
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