Ruling party politician,tribal chief al-Quahali was murdered

Yemen's Army Yemeni ruling party politician and tribal chief Mujahid al-Quahali was murdered in Sanaa on Sunday. Yemen's army has taken control of the capital of southern Abyan

 

 province from fighters suspected of having links to al-Qaeda, the state news agency said, citing the provincial governor and military officers. Troops re-took contol of Zinjibar on Saturday following nearly four months of control by al-Qaeda-linked fighters, officials said.
General Mohammad al-Somali, a Yemeni military official, told Reuters news agency the army had managed to relieve a brigade that had been confined to its base near the city. The 25th brigade was besieged when the fighters took control of Zinjibar in May.
But a military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press news agency that government forces had managed to "liberate" the eastern part of Zinjibar, and that fighting was still taking place in other neighborhoods of the city. If the army is able maintain its foothold in Zinjibar, this would mark the military's first concrete gains against the fighters since they launched an offensive several months ago.
Yemeni "President Ali Abdullah Saleh ... congratulated the heroes of the armed and security forces for ending the blockade by Al-Qaeda militants in Abyan on the 25th Mechanised Brigade that has lasted more than three months," said Saba. A military official also announced that "the army has freed the central security building which has been under Al-Qaeda's control and will begin combing the city (of Zinjibar, capital of Abyan province) in the coming hours to hunt down Al-Qaeda militants."
Furhtermore, Al-Somali earlier told Reuters that provisions were delivered to the brigade and that the army had entered Zinjibar to reinforce efforts to drive out the fighters, many of whom had already fled towards Jaar, another town they had taken over in Abyan. "We are pursuing limited pockets of militants, but the real battle will be to purify the town of Jaar," said al-Somali.
Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from 17 provinces have flooded the streets of the capital, Sanaa, and elsewhere after Friday prayers in the ongoing protest against Ali Abdullah Saleh 33-year rule, witnesses and the opposition say. Protesters in Sanaa braved rainfall and were protected by troops loyal to Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a dissident general, as they gathered after weekly Muslim prayers at University Square - which they have dubbed Change Square. Protestors peacefully called for no international intervention or the interference in the Yemeni revolution, on the Friday of "Victory from God and a quick success." Protestors sai dthat they will stick to peaceful protesting and will not resort to using violence.
Imam Fouad AL Humairi, who gave the Friday prayers speech said in a message directed at people who were afraid of leaving their houses saying: "what are you afraid of? They have stolen your history, past and the future of you children and you have kept quiet. He who lives in the desert does not fear locusts." He continued: "have you forgetton what the regime had done to you those past 33 years?" The Imam said that men and women fighters are a pride for Yemen who will preserve a decent life for those after them in future Yemen. Moreover, he warned loyalists to the Yemen regime of testing their patience, as they will not be facing an easy battle. The Imam believes that the days of the revolution are numbered now, as Yemenis have no option but to be victorious.
In the southwestern province of Taez, where the outpouring was significant, three children were wounded when a landmine exploded. "The mask of the regime has fallen ... for 33 years the country has been a hostage of a family band," the prayer leader was quoted as saying. He called on the "silent fringes [of the population] to join the revolution", telling the government's supporters that "the end of injustice is inevitable and near".
Since anti-government protests swept Yemen in late January, militants have taken advantage of the weakening of central authority to set up base in several southern provinces as well as Maarib province in the east. The United Nations and Western governments have expressed growing concern about the role Al-Qaeda might play in Yemen if the regime of veteran Saleh collapses and a power vacuum ensues.