Blast at Yemen ammo plant kills 70

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ADEN, Mar 28 (agencies): A massive blast Monday at an ammunition plant near the city of Jaar in the restive province of Abyan in southern Yemen looted by Al-Qaeda killed at least 70 people, as tracts of the south slip out of Sanaa's control in the thick of an anti-regime revolt. A security official said the explosion came as dozens of residents were inside the factory helping themselves to whatever ammunition was left after Sunday's raid by suspected Al-Qaeda fighters. It remained unclear if the cause was accidental or the result of a booby-trap. In Yemen, an unrest-swept and impoverished country, carrying firearms is a national passion and guns outnumber the 24-million population by more than two to one. Around 30 armed and hooded gunmen looted the factory in the city of the province that is considered a stronghold of the Al-Qaeda on Sunday and made off in four vehicles with cases of weapons, witnesses said. The incident, two months into a nationwide revolt against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, came as a security official said suspected Al-Qaeda militants had seized control of Jaar and its surrounding villages. Washington warned on Sunday that the fall of the embattled Saleh, a key US ally in its war against Al-Qaeda, would pose a "real problem" for the United States. "I think it is a real concern because the most active and at this point perhaps the most aggressive branch of Al-Qaeda, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, operates out of Yemen," said US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. "And we've had counter-terrorism cooperation with President Saleh and the Yemeni security services," he said. "So if that government collapses, or is replaced by one who is dramatically more weak, then I think we'd face some additional challenges out of Yemen, there's no question about it. It's a real problem," Gates said. Saleh himself said that the opposition demanding his ouster should resort to dialogue in order to avoid chaos and a Somalia-style "civil war" in Yemen. In a separate development in the Arab world, Syrian troops have deployed in force in the northern city of Latakia, where at least 12 people have died in a wave of unrest that has shaken the regime. Officials blamed foreign forces for the violence, but residents said pro-government gangs started the clashes. The authorities said on Sunday they would end decades of emergency rule, after protests erupted in at least six cities on Friday. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is expected to address the nation soon. Sources say Mr Assad is likely to announce on Tuesday that he is lifting the state of emergency after nearly 50 years and taking steps to annul other restrictions on civil liberties and political freedoms. There are great hopes among many Syrians that President Assad's speech will put an end to the recent tension. The unrest started in the southern town of Deraa on March 18 and has spread to several cities nationwide. It is the biggest threat to the rule of President Assad, 45, who succeeded his father Hafez on his death in 2000. Protesters have vowed to keep taking to the streets until all their demands for more freedom are met. The government has tried to calm the situation by promising concessions. Analysts say there are divergent views within the Syrian leadership on handing the crisis -- one group favours a crackdown on the dissent while the other prefers dialogue. Streets in Latakia, scene of Syria's latest deadly violence, were deserted on Monday. Funerals for a number of the victims of deadly shooting in the northern port city -- some believed to be the work of snipers -- were planned for Monday as schools and businesses closed their doors. "The city is calm this morning, but the shops are all closed and employees have not gone to work," said Issam Khoury, a journalist based in Latakia, 350 kilometres (220 miles) northwest of Damascus. "Most schools are closed as well and parents have decided not to send their children to any classes," added Khoury. Buthaina Shaaban, a top adviser to Assad, on Sunday said authorities had decided to end the state of emergency, which came into effect when the ruling Baath party rose to power almost 50 years ago. But it remains unclear what the decision will entail. Syria's emergency law imposes restrictions on public gatherings and movement and authorises the arrest of "suspects or persons who threaten security." The law also authorises interrogation of any individual and the surveillance of personal communications as well as official control of the content of newspapers and other media before publication. Activists estimate that some 130 people have been killed in the Syria protests, which began in Damascus on March 15 but quickly fizzled out, taking root instead in the multi-confessional city of Latakia and the southern governorate of Daraa, a tribal area on the Jordanian border. Syrian officials say 30 people have been killed, including two insurgents, and 185 wounded in Latakia since Friday.