Yemen troops shoot dead protesters for second day

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SANAA, Oct 16 (AFP): Yemeni troops shot dead five demonstrators in the capital Sunday as they attempted to block a new bid by activists to bring 10 months of protests against veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh to a head. The defiant march by tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators in Sanaa came despite the deaths of at least 12 people in a similar protest in the capital Saturday. Medical officials stationed at a makeshift field hospital near Change Square said three protesters and two dissident soldiers were killed, and at least 40 people wounded in Sunday's crackdown. The violence erupted when protesters approached Al-Zubeiri Street, which marks the dividing line between parts of the capital held by troops loyal to Saleh and those held by dissident units led by General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, who rallied to the opposition in March. A news agency correspondent on the scene said snipers positioned on rooftops overlooking the street opened fire on the protesters, who were being led by dissident troops from Ahmar's First Armoured Division. Ahmar's troops returned fire and fierce clashes ensued as unarmed protesters frantically dispersed. Sunday's violence followed a similarly bloody day Saturday when troops loyal to Saleh shot dead 12 protesters from a crowd of hundreds of thousands that marched on Al-Zubeiri Street.