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      SANAA, Yemen (AP) - Anti-government demonstrators clashed with
supporters of Yemen's longtime ruler and riot police, who fired
tear gas and gunshots to disperse the crowd on what organizers
called a nationwide "Friday of Rage." Three people were killed by
police in the port of Aden and 48 were wounded in the southern city
of Taiz when someone threw what appeared to be a hand grenade into
a crowd, witnesses said.


      It was the ninth straight day of protests in Yemen inspired by
uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Demonstrators are calling for the
ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh - a key U.S. ally in
fighting al-Qaida terrorists - who has ruled the country for 32
years.


      U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the reported violence in
response to protests in Yemen, as well as Bahrain and Libya, he
urged those governments to respect the rights of peacefully
demonstrating citizens, and he expressed condolences to the
families of those killed.


      The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa said it has seen "a disturbing rise
in the number and violence of attacks against Yemeni citizens" at
peaceful protests. It added that diplomats also saw reports of
Yemen government officials "present during these attacks," which
it called "contrary to the commitments that President Saleh has
made to protect the right of Yemeni citizens to gather peacefully
to express their views."


      Saleh is already facing a restless population, with threats from
al-Qaida militants who want to oust him, a southern secessionist
movement and a sporadic armed rebellion in the north.


      To try to quell the new outbursts of dissent, Saleh pledged to
meet some of the protesters' demands and has reached out to tribal
chiefs, who are a major base of support for him. But a key chief
from Saleh's own tribe was critical of his policies and threatened
to join the protesters - an apparent attempt to pressure the
embattled leader of the world's poorest Arab country.


      For now, most of the protesters are students, educated
professionals and activists who used social media sites Facebook
and Twitter in summoning people to the streets for the "Friday of
Rage" following noon prayers. Tens of thousands responded in the
capital of Sanaa, the southern port of Aden and the political
hotbed of Taiz. Some websites also referred to the day as "Friday
of the Beginning."


      In a change, many mosque preachers took a critical tone toward
the government.


      A preacher at the Sanaa University mosque spoke out against
violence against demonstrators, telling many protesters who had
gathered there: "We have been living for 30 years without purpose
or hope."


      Another Sanaa preacher, Imam Abdel Raqib Obad, urged people to
join the protests and criticized security forces for "battling"
youths.


      Imam Jabri Al Yamani admonished the crowd that "protests must
be peaceful and not scare and harm the people," but as
demonstrators marched toward the presidential palace afterward, the
scene descended into violence.


      The crowd, chanting anti-government slogans, was met by a heavy
deployment of riot police and hundreds of Saleh supporters, similar
to confrontations earlier this week. The pro-and anti-government
sides attacked each other with rocks, and the riot police began
firing in the air and launching tear gas canisters.


      At least four people were hurt seriously enough to be taken away
by ambulances.


      The demonstrators dispersed to other streets, some of which were
blocked by police.


      Journalists also came under attack by government supporters. An
Associated Press reporter saw men with sticks attack a TV crew,
smashing their camera. Other photographers took refuge in a
building to avoid the mob.


      In Taiz, about 270 miles (435 kilometers) south of Sanaa, the
call for demonstrations brought out thousands of people, and
witnesses said men in a speeding civilian car threw what appeared
to be a grenade into a crowd of demonstrators, causing a stampede
when it exploded.


      At least 48 protesters were seriously wounded, and many others
were hurt as they fell in the stampede and chaos, according to
medical officials and Ghazi al-Samie, a lawyer and activist in
Taiz, Yemen's second-largest city.


      In Aden, protesters burned four government cars and a local
council building. The clashes continued well after sundown, when
protesters set a police storage area ablaze and burned tires.


      The police fired into the crowd, using tear gas, rubber bullets
and what some witnesses said was live ammunition. Three protesters
were killed - including two in their 20s who were shot, according
to witnesses and medical officials who spoke on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.


      A large demonstration also was reported in eastern Hadramawt
province, where police fired in the air to disperse protesters.


      The violence forced international soccer officials to postpone
Yemen's Feb. 23 home qualifying match for the 2012 Olympics against
Singapore. The match, in Sanaa, was put off until March 2.


      Saleh, a weak but important partner for Washington, had pledged
not to seek re-election in 2013 or pass power to his son. The
promise was seen as an attempt to defuse calls for his ouster.
Opposition groups said they are suspicious of Saleh's offer and
want concrete proposals for change.


      Tribal chief Hussein al-Ahmar, a member of Saleh's tribe, told a
crowd in his home province Thursday that if violence against
protesters continued, his tribesmen may come in to the defense of
the demonstrators.


      The threat, apparently aimed to get more concessions from Saleh,
could turn the protests more violent. Al-Ahmar's tribe, Hashed, is
one of the largest and best-armed in Yemen.


      "It is not the armed forces, nor Saleh and his army that
protect Sanaa, but the tribes of Hashed" and others, Al-Ahmar told
the crowd in Amran province. "If the authorities continue to scare
the protesters with their thugs, we will have to interfere."


      Yemen has become a main battleground against al-Qaida. The
government, which receives millions of dollars in U.S. military
aid, has allowed American drone strikes on al-Qaida targets and has
stepped up counterterrorism cooperation.


      The U.S.-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, thought to be
hiding in Yemen, is believed to have inspired and even plotted or
helped coordinate recent attacks on the U.S. Those include the
failed December 2009 bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner and the
unsuccessful plot to send mail bombs on planes from Yemen to the
U.S. Al-Awlaki also is believed to have inspired the 2009 shooting
at Fort Hood, Texas, and had ties to some of the 9/11 hijackers.


      Nearly half of Yemen's population lives below the poverty line
of $2 a day and its government is riddled with corruption. The
country also is plagued by shrinking water and oil resources and an
inability to feed its people. Poverty and malnutrition are rampant
in the country's rugged hinterlands.

Gallery

Anti-government demonstrators clashed with
supporters of Yemen's longtime ruler and riot police, who fired
tear gas and gunshots to disperse the crowd on what organizers
called a nationwide "Friday of Rage." Three people were killed by
police in the port of Aden and 48 were wounded in the southern city
of Taiz when someone threw what appeared to be a hand grenade into
a crowd, witnesses said.

Violence marks 'Friday of Rage' across Yemen

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