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Airstrike leaves 15 dead in Yemen

10 May 2011 19:15 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least 15 people have been reportedly killed after the Yemeni government launched an airstrike against tribes near the capital city of Sana’a, APA reports quoting Press TV.

The attack took place on Tuesday after tribesmen tried to prevent regime forces from moving towards the south, Press TV reported.

The forces were heading to the cities of Ma’rib and Hadhramaut, as part of the government’s efforts to quell opposition protests.

Earlier on Tuesday, clashes between regime forces and protesters injured at least 20 people.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters staged a rally in the western city of Hudaydah on Tuesday to call for the immediate ouster of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

President Saleh has been in power since 1978, with several opposition members arguing that his long-promised reforms have not materialized.

Hundreds of protesters have been killed since opposition rallies began in February, according to local reports.

There are concerns that intermittent skirmishes between anti-government demonstrators and forces loyal to Saleh could eventually spiral out of control and trigger a large-scale violence.

Some 40 percent of Yemen’s population lives on less than USD 2 a day, and one third is wrestling with chronic hunger.

Some 31.5 percent of the population is "food insecure," and around 12 percent are "severely food insecure,â€ the United Nations said.