Tribesmen fighting soldiers loyal to Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh shot down Wednesday an army fighter jet. A Sukhoi SU-22 "fell during a regular mission" and opposition leaders were "responsible for the incident," said a military spokesman quoted by Saba state news agency.
The fighter jet was downed by anti-aircraft guns near Arhab, some 40 kilometres north of Sanaa, witnesses said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people protested not far from Sanaa's Change Square, AFP reported. "We shall not rest until the butcher is executed," the demonstrators chanted.
Saleh loyalists blocked the road leading to government offices beyond the Qiyadah roundabout, forcing the protest to stay within the area controlled by a defected division. Other demonstrations were reported in the cities of Taez, Hudayda and Ibb, witnesses said.
