Six killed as Yemen police fire on anti- government protesters

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2011-03-14

Police forces in Yemen have killed atleast six people, including a 15 year old student and injured many more, after they attacked anti- government protesters in the capital city Sanaa.

In the port city of Mukalla in the Hadramout province, a 15-year-old student was shot dead when security troops opened fire on protesters.

People in Yemen have been protesting against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years and demanding a more democratic set up.

Saturday's raid on the Sanaa Square came after Yemen's largest demonstrations in a month Friday were met by police gunfire that injured at least six protesters.

The violence began with an early morning raid on a central square in the capital Sanaa, where thousands of pro-democracy protesters had been camping.

Eyewitnesses said, security troops surrounded the square with police cars and armed personnel carriers shortly after midnight told the people to go home. At about 5am, the security forces stormed in, firing live and ammunition tear gas, News.com.au reports.

An activist said: " We were performing dawn prayers when we were surprised by a sudden hail of bullets and tear gas. The protesters began throwing rocks at security. It was total mayhem, a real battlefield."

Abdelwahed al-Juneid, a volunteer doctor working with the protesters, said around 250 people had been wounded in the attack.

A hospital official said all the dead had been shot in the head.

Source: ANI

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