Fighting in and Around Sana'a Intensifies As Saleh's Forces Escalate

By Hassan Al-Haifi
May 25, 2011

Al-Masdar Online, Mareb Press, News of the Yemeni Revolution (Change Square)and eyewitnesses all report heavy shelling and explosions heard in on a far broader scale than in the vicinity of the Al-Ahmar Compound in the Al-Hasaba Neighborhood North Sana'a City. The fighting now has included areas outside of Sana'a, such as the Arhab Tribal District about 30 km North of Sana'a City, and along the Mareb Road in the Al-Khorafi mound about 15 km Northeast of Sana'a City. The most significant development is the obvious targeting of the Headquarters of the First Armored Division commanded By Brigadier General Ali Mohsin Al-Ahmar, which has defected to the side of the revolting youth in late March of this year, after the Bloody Friday of 18 March 2011, when at least 52 peaceful unarmed protesters were killed and hundreds wounded by security forces and plainclothes thugs supporting President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
From late afternoon today the First Division has been subjected to heavy shelling from various positions of pro Saleh forces in stationed in the mountains East and West of the base of the First Division. After holding back for a couple of hours before answering the fire, the First Division returned fire as the intensity of the shelling intensified
In the Arhab tribal area, north of San'a International Airport, local tribesmen stood against the 61st and 62nd Battalions of the Republican Guards, commanded by General Ahmed Ali Abdulla Saleh, son of the President. The tribe has prevented the forces from moving to Sana'a as a gesture of containement of any fighting that might ensue. Now these units are trying to force their way into Sana'a and are said to be shelling the local villages randomly, as the local tribesmen continued to put up a stiff resistence to the movement of any of its armored vehicles. They have damaged several of these vehicles according to reports from the area.
It is not clear how much Saleh will continue to resort to the military option to ensure that he remains President despite the large number of Yemenis, who have gotten out in the streets to demand that Saleh abdicate and leave the Presidency. The current fighting comes after the refusal of President Saleh to sign the Gulf Cooperation Council brokered agreement, which was to be witnessed and guaranteed by the GCC, the United States and the European Union.
The youth who are leading the revolt against Saleh still demand the removal of Saleh without immunity, which the GCC Initiative would have given Saleh and his close relatives and government officials.
Now with the entry of the Republican Guards and other Saleh forces and the targeting of the First Division, it appears that Saleh is betting on his ability to decisively put out the revolt militarily, a bet, which even if true, would be severely costly in human casualties, destruction of public and private property.

Yemeni citizens from all walks of life are demanding that the International Community interfere to put a stop to Saleh's unjustified reliance on a military solution, especially in the population congested City of Sana'a. With the area of the First Division overlooking the camping grounds of the protesting youth, observers that the peaceful unarmed protesters will be caught in the crossfire, without any shelters to which to run.