Yemen: Fresh Clashes Between Army And Tribesmen Kills 5 Yemenis

Five people were reportedly killed and 20 wounded during clashes Friday in the Yemeni city of Taiz as army tanks positioned on surrounding mountains shelled several residential areas in Taizz. Street battles with heavy weapons including tanks were also reported in the city.

A dozen homes and several shops were reportedly destroyed in the shelling. Al Jazeera reporters say the attacks have forced thousands of Taizz residents to flee the city and seek safety elsewhere.

On Thursday,Yemeni officials conveyed that fighting between the army and armed tribesmen has left 13 people dead in a central city. The fighting took place although the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh handed his powers to the Vice-President.

According to the AP, a Defense Ministry statement indicated that five troops died and 15 others injured on Thursday amid massive shelling in Taez.

A security official meanwhile said four tribesmen and four civilians have also been killed, and 28 more people have been injured. According to the official, tens of thousands were demonstrating in Taiz against the army shelling.

Moreover, 13 Al-Qaeda militants have been wiped out in clashes between government troops and the local Al-Qaeda militants. The Army used artillery guns in fighting in the city of Zinjibar, in the Abyan Governorate, in the south of Yemen.

Last Saturday, an opposition leader was called on to form a caretaker government. Opposition leader Mohammed Basindawa, a former member of Saleh's ruling party, would form a national unity government to rule until early elections in February 21, 2012.

Meanwhile, thousands of of protesters marched in Aden, Sanaa, Taizz, and several other cities on Friday to President Saleh’s trial over the killing of hundreds of anti-regime protesters during the uprising.

Ali Abdullah Saleh signed a deal mediated by the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh, on Nov. 23. Under the deal, he transferred power to Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi in return for immunity from prosecution. Saleh is expected to go to New York for medical treatment after elections,Yemen TV reported.