Sana'a: Clashes between forces loyal to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and dissident tribesmen in the country's second-largest city Taez killed eight people, five of them civilians, on Thursday, medics said.
"Eight people, including five civilians, were killed and 30 wounded," a medic from the city's Al Rawda neighbourhood told AFP.
Fighting erupted early
Witnesses said the fighting erupted early in the day as loyalist troops tried to storm the city centre, a stronghold of armed tribesmen who have pledged support to the protest movement against Saleh's 33-year rule.
Troop of the loyalist 33rd Brigade entered several neighbourhoods of Taez, a stronghold of the anti-government protests raging since January, but met stiff resistance in others, residents said.
All roads leading into the city have been blocked by fierce fighting that has left outlying districts isolated from the city centre.
On Tuesday, Saleh's forces shelled several neighbourhoods of the city, killing one person and destroying dozens of homes, medics and residents said. Violence across Yemen has left hundreds dead since the protests erupted.
A UN-backed power transfer deal signed by the veteran strongman last month has failed to halt the violence.
The UN Security Council called on Monday for those behind killings and human rights abuses in Yemen to be "held accountable," as demands grow for Saleh to face trial despite promises of immunity from prosecution for him and his family extended under the transition agreement.
