2 killed in artillery attack in north Yemen

By AHMED AL-HAJ - Associated Press

March 28, 2012

SANAA, Yemen --

Yemeni security officials and tribesmen say two civilians were killed during army shelling of an area suspected of being a hideout of armed militia north of the capital, Sanaa.

Officials in Yemen's Republican Guards said Tuesday they bombarded the area in the northern Arhab region where they suspected an armed militia was hiding.

Local tribal leader Hadi al-Garmouzi said the surprise attack killed two civilians, injured others and caused damage. The attack came despite an attempt to arrange a cease-fire.

Also Tuesday, Yemen's new president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, fired a longtime supporter of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh who headed the powerful Military Economic Institution, which took in significant revenues but its budget was a secret.