Yemen Troops Kill 20 Protesters

Meanwhile, military units fight al-Qaeda in Zinjibar
Posted May 30, 2011 8:58 AM CDT
Yemen Protests: Troops Kill 20 Protesters in Taiz; Military Units Fight al-Qaeda in Zinjibar
Yemeni security forces use water canons to disperse anti-government protesters in Yemen's second-largest city of Taez, south of Sanaa, late on May 29, 2011. AFP PHOTO/STR   (Getty Images)

Despite the recent truce in the Yemen capital of Sanaa, fighting rages on in the country, with hundreds of government soldiers firing on protesters in the southern city of Taiz today. A medical official and other witnesses tell the AP at least 20 were killed when the soldiers stormed a protest camp, fired on crowds, and bulldozed or set fire to tents with people still inside. One witness calls it “a real massacre.”

Meanwhile, the Islamic militants who seized Zinjibar on Friday killed four military officers today. Military units were battling the militants last night and this morning, trying to force them from the town. Since Saturday, 34 militants, soldiers, and civilians have been killed in the area. Some opponents of President Ali Abdullah Saleh accused him of letting the militants seize the area in order to spread fear that al-Qaeda will take over if he is successfully ousted. (More Yemen stories.)

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