Civilian Killed as Shell Hits Bus in Yemen
A civilian was killed as a shell hit a bus in Yemen's flashpoint city of Taez where fighting has cost more than 30 lives since last week, medics said on Tuesday.
The bus was heading towards the restive northern al-Hasab district late on Monday when it was hit by an artillery round fired by troops loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the sources said.
"One passenger was killed while several others were wounded," a medic said.
After a lull in fighting on Sunday, clashes between armed tribesmen and Saleh's forces rocked the city late on Monday.
Brief clashes also took place in Sanaa's northern al-Hasaba district between tribesmen loyal to dissident tribal chief Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar and Saleh's troops. But no casualties were reported in the capital.
Earlier on Monday, two women were killed and six other people wounded when the president's forces opened fire on a crowd of anti-regime protesters in the city.
The latest deaths in Taez brought to 34 the number of people killed in Yemen's second-largest city since last Thursday.
Hundreds have been killed nationwide since an uprising began against Saleh's 33-year-long rule in late January.
On November 23, Saleh signed a Gulf-brokered and UN-backed transfer deal to hand over power to his Vice President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi in return for immunity from prosecution.
The killings on Monday came a day after Hadi formed a military commission under the Gulf Cooperation Council agreement to oversee the restructuring of the security forces, many of which are controlled by Saleh's relatives.
The official Saba news agency said the 14-member commission would also oversee the withdrawal of gunmen from the streets.
Meanwhile, Saba said on Tuesday that 110 officers and soldiers from the First Armored Brigade led by dissident General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar were arrested by Yemeni authorities.
Led by General Sadiq Ali Sarhan, the soldiers were sent to Taez to "implement a terrorist plan by (the Islamist) Al-Islah (reform) party and its civilians and army branches and arms... to occupy the city and cause trouble," it said.
The statement accused General Ahmar, whose troops protect protesters in Sanaa, of plotting to seize control of "Yemeni cities one after the other and carry out assassinations" in Taez.
State media said on Saturday that a ceasefire was reached in Taez after Hadi called for an end to the fighting between pro-Saleh troops and armed tribesmen who have thrown their support behind the mass protest movement.
Source: Agence France Presse
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