Yemen army ****ling kills two in southern town
(AFP) – 1 hour ago
SANAA — Two people were killed and dozens wounded on Monday in what witnesses described as the "indiscriminate" ****ling by the Yemeni army of the southern town of Daleh, a medical official said.
Local officials said the artillery fire, from army positions around the town, followed clashes in the town centre between police and armed supporters of the Southern Movement, a coalition of groups wanting greater autonomy or independence for the region.
Eyewitnesses said the army had ****led the town centre "indiscriminately".
Local officials said that Daleh was completely paralysed by a general strike called by the Southern Movement.
The strike was observed in a string of southern towns, including Habilayn and Tur al-Baha in Lahij province, and Lawdar, Mudiyah and Al-Qaar in Abyan province, local officials said.
There were no reports of clashes except in Daleh.
South Yemen was independent from the British withdrawal in 1967 until it united with the north in 1990. The south seceded in 1994, sparking a short civil war that ended with the region overrun by northern troops.
Residents of the south, who complain of discrimination by the Sanaa government in the al of resources, hold frequent protests, which periodically result in clashes.
On May 29, the defence ministry's
26sep.net news ***site reported that three Yemeni soldiers were killed in two ambushes by southern separatists that week.
Another Yemeni soldier was killed and four wounded on May 15 when militants opened fire on a military vehicle in Lahij province,
26sep.net said.
In addition to unrest in the south, Yemen -- the Arab world's poorest country -- is also contending with threats from Al-Qaeda and the aftermath of a six-year uprising by Zaidi Shiite rebels in the far north.