Sana'a: Nine people -- six soldiers and three attackers -- were killed as armed clashes erupted between Yemeni security forces and unidentified gunmen near the presidential palace here Friday evening, a security official said.
"Unknown gunmen raided a security checkpoint manned with guarding the presidential palace in Sana'a, sparking armed clashes with the soldiers in the area," Xinhua quoted the official as saying.
The well-trained attackers were attempting to storm the heavily-guarded presidential palace, but failed, the official said.
Elsewhere in Sana'a, a police officer said that a huge blast was heard near a government compound that belongs to the military intelligence forces. It was followed by exchange of gunfire.
Also in Sana'a, a bomb attached to a bus exploded, wounding up to 12 policemen in an eastern neighbourhood of the city near the headquarters of the British and Qatari embassies.
Earlier in the afternoon, Yemeni defence minister escaped an attack by suspected gunmen of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda branch on a highway linking restive southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa.
The defence ministry said Thursday that army troops had dislodged scores of Al Qaeda militants from their last bastion in the southeastern province of Shabwa after two weeks of fighting.
Commanders of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have vowed to hit back.
The AQAP, known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, emerged in January 2009. It is considered the most strategic threat to the Yemeni government and neighbouring oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
Comments
| Quick linksNews
National
International
Regional
Politics
Education & Career
Business
Science & Technology
Health
Views & Analysis
The Funny Side
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.
Millions vote in penultimate round of Lok Sabha battleWith the Lok Sabha battle getting increasingly bitter, millions voted Wednesday in 64 constituencies across seven states, with sporadic violence reported mainly from Andhra Pradesh. .... More
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi faces defeat in Amethi: Narendra Modi
What it's really like to be a Muslim woman in BritainIslamophobic attacks have been on the rise ever since 9/11, but it is mostly women being attacked, a recent report suggests
In any case, we in the UK don't come up smelling of roses when we examine the inequality between the sexes either. A UN human rights inspector recently declared the sexism in the UK to be more 'pervasive' . ..... More
This is a very significant development because the leaders of the 11 parties have indicated that individual parties can go in for seat arrangements in their respective states. Right now they together have 92 seats in the current Lok Sabha. .... More
In a letter dashed to Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Thursday a local NGO asserted that Reliance Industries Chief Mukesh Ambani had grabbed Waqf land by fraudulent means and urged the minister to initiate a high-level enquiry by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Ambani and others involved in the case.. ... More
Also Read: Shame on Ambani who occupied land of orphans: Asaduddin