Friday, June 3, 2011

Saleh Hurt as Shell Lands inside Presidential Palace

Sana'a, June 3, 2011- President Ali Abdullah Saleh was slightly injured on Friday when a shell landed inside the presidential palace, but well-informed sources said he had a minor injury in his head and is OK.

"Three of his guards and the rector were killed in the attack against the mosque inside the palace, blamed on the tribe of Hashid, whose members are currently fighting the government forces in many parts of the capital.

A spokesman for Sadeq Al-Ahmer, the sheik of Hashid, denied their involvement in the attack, saying the government is taking advantage of the situation to blame any attack on us.
" We had nothing to do with this attack," said Abdul Qawi Al-Qaisi, director of Al-Ahmer's office, as government sources said that the shell was fired from the house of Hameed Al-Ahmer, a brother of Sadeq.

In response to the attack that occurred after Friday prayers, the forces have been bombing the house of Hamid and other figures of Al Al-Ahmer.

Parliament Speaker, Yahya Al-Ra'e, Prime Minister Ali Mujawar and other senior officials were wounded, but there were not details whether the injuries were serious.

President Saleh will deliver a speech to comment on the attack in coming hours.

In Taiz, locals said thousands of antigovernment protesters retook the freedom square in downtown the southern city. Several protesters were injured in clashes with the forces.

Last week, the forces broke into the square, where hundreds of thousands of people have held a month-long sit to call for the departure of the regime.

They burned tents and fired live bullets at the protesters leaving dozens killed and more than a thousand others injured.

Source: Yemen Post