Sanaa: Government troops shelled the home district in the capital of the chief of the main tribe opposing Yemen`s president, killing three and wounding five people, security officials said on Friday.

Heavy gunfire erupted late yesterday in Sanaa`s Hassaba district between forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the tribal confederation led by the al-Ahmar clan, witnesses said.

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Security officials said three were killed in the clashes that erupted late yesterday. The witnesses said the clashes began with automatic rifles and later involved mortars. One shell exploded at dawn close to al-Ahmar`s residence. The officials said two of the wounded were followers of Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar.

Saleh supporters and fighters loyal to the al-Ahmar clan have been locked in a tense standoff in Sanaa since late May, when al-Ahmar`s leader sided with protesters calling for Saleh`s ouster. That set off a round of fighting in Sanaa`s streets that lasted for two weeks. Several rounds of fighting have broken out since. Members of the al-Ahmar clan said government officials and foreign diplomats were negotiating to prevent an escalation. The officials and tribe members were speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

PTI