Al Qaida attack ratchets tensions in Yemen

Sana'a Suspected Al Qaida gunmen killed four soldiers in Yemen on Sunday, a day after President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to yield to protesters' demands for his immediate resignation.

The new violence came as both London and Washington called on their citizens to consider leaving the impoverished Arabian peninsula country and warned against all but essential travel.

The elite Republican Guard soldiers were ambushed as they delivered food near Marib about 170km east of Sana'a, a local official told AFP.

"The attack was similar to others by Al Qaida," the official added. A military attack helicopter and ground troops pursued the assailants into a nearby valley, a security source said.

Yemen is a key US ally in the fight against Al Qaida's activity in the Arabian Peninsula, which a State Department official last month described as the "most significant" threat to the US homeland.

Sunday's attack was not believed to be connected to the anti-government unrest which has killed at least 19 people in Yemen since February 16, according to an AFP toll.

Security forces arrested 16 protesters in the main southern city Aden on Saturday, as thousands continued to demonstrate demanding Saleh's resignation over corruption, poverty and high unemployment in one of the poorest countries in the world.

But the veteran leader who has ruled since 1978 dismissed an opposition proposal for a quick transition of power, saying he would serve out his current term which expires in 2013.

In a statement carried late Saturday on the state-run Saba news agency, an official close to the president said the opposition's proposal, envisaging Saleh's departure before the end of the year, was "vague and contradictory".

"A peaceful transition of power cannot be done with chaos, but by having recourse to the people through elections, so that they can decide who they want to lead without acts of violence and trouble," the statement said.

Yemen's opposition and clerics last week offered Saleh a smooth exit from power this year, even as protests calling for his immediate removal spread from the south to the east of the country.

The five-point proposal calls for a "peaceful transition of power" from Saleh, insists demonstrations against his regime will go on and demands a probe into a deadly crackdown on the protests.

Once Saleh replied, it would ultimately be up to Yemen's people to "decide whether to accept or reject this proposal," said the Common Forum, an alliance of parliamentary opposition groups.

Witnesses said police used tear gas and fired warning shots on Saturday to disperse the protesters and that two demonstrators were wounded after being beaten with batons.

Meanwhile, thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets in the city of Ataq, in the eastern province of Shabwa, on the third consecutive day of protests, witnesses said.

"People want to topple the regime," demonstrators chanted, echoing a slogan that has gripped many Arab capitals and that has already forced the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt to quit and thrown Libya into civil war.

An MP from neighbouring Al Bayda province announced Friday his resignation from the ruling party of Saleh in protest against the use of force against demonstrators.

Ali Al Umrani announced his decision to quit the General People's Congress and join anti-government protests at an anti-Saleh demonstration in the capital, Sana'a.

Another member of the GPC, prominent businessman Nabeel Al Khameri, also announced his resignation to protest the violence.

Eleven MPs who quit the GPC last week have since announced the formation of a new parliamentary bloc, named as the "Free Deputies", headed by Abdo Bisher.

The US government warned Americans Sunday against travelling to Yemen and authorised the voluntary departure of family members and non-essential embassy staff. Britain on Saturday advised its nationals against all travel to Yemen.