Yemeni forces clash with separatists in Aden, 8 killed
SANAA, Yemen — Yemeni government forces clashed with separatists in the southern port city of Aden on Sunday in fighting that left at least eight people dead. The country’s internationally recognized government considered the separatists’ assault an attempted “coup” backed by onetime ally the United Arab Emirates.
Authorities shut down the country’s main airport, fearing wider unrest and an Associated Press journalist heard heavy gunfire in the Khor Maksar, Crater, and Mansoura districts, as thick black smoke rose in the sky after an airstrike. The fighting spread to other districts, including areas near the presidential palace. Witnesses say that armed men stormed government offices and riddled the pictures of president’s with bullets.
Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid Bin Daghar held a meeting in the presidential palace in which he described the separatists’ assault as a “coup,” according to a senior government official who attended the meeting. A second official told the AP that the UAE was behind the assault.
Abdel-Khaleq Abdullah, an Emirati political commentator, rejected the allegations and said that the UAE has been always fighting terrorism and working toward stability in Yemen.