Sanaa: Thousands of people marching for the ouster of Yemen's US-allied president clashed on Tuesday with police and government supporters, and at least three demonstrators were injured in a fifth straight day of Egypt-inspired protests.
Police tried to disperse the demonstrators using tear gas and batons, but about 3,000 protesters defiantly continued their march from Sanaa University toward the city centre, chanting slogans against President Ali Abdullah Saleh,
including "Down with the president's thugs!"
The procession gained momentum with hundreds of students and rights activists joining along the way. The unrest comes as ties between the US and Saleh have been growing recently over rising alarm in Washington about the activities of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
The US military has embarked on a plan to deepen its involvement in training Yemen's counter terrorism force to counteract a local affiliate of al-Qaida that has mounted several attacks against the US.
Saleh, who has been in office for more than 30 years, has tried to blunt recent unrest by promising not to seek re-election when his term ends in 2013. He has been contacting powerful tribal leaders in a bid to enlist their support as he attempts to defuse the protests, according to officials familiar with the president's moves.
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