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At Least 12 Injured in Sanaa Clashes

At least 12 people were injured and police fired warning shots during fierce clashes in Yemen's capital between anti-government protesters and regime loyalists on Thursday, an Agence France Presse correspondent said.

About 2,000 protesters, mostly students, had just left Sanaa University headed for the central Tahrir Square when they ran into regime supporters and clashes broke out for a fifth straight day, the reporter said.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh's loyalists were gathered and waiting near the university since early in the day and attacked the protesters with batons and stones, he said.

The protesters, chanting "The people want to overthrow the regime," responded by hurling stones. Police intervened with warning shots to separate the rival demonstrators.

On Tuesday, police in Sanaa also stepped in when supporters and opponents of the president clashed, leaving three injured. The rival camps have likewise clashed in Taez, south of the capital.

On Monday, rocks and batons flew in the capital as protesters -- mainly students and lawyers -- confronted police and Saleh's supporters. Similar clashes broke out the previous day.

In the face of the unrest, Saleh has postponed a visit to the United States planned for later this month after the opposition agreed on Sunday to resume all-party talks suspended since October on forming a unity government.

Source: Agence France Presse


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