Injured Yemen leader seeks treatment overseas
ABC News:
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Mr Saleh has left Yemen to seek medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, and it is understood he is to be operated on soon. (AFP: Mohammed Huwais)
Mr Saleh has left Yemen to seek medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, and it is understood he is to be operated on soon.
Yemeni officials have acknowledged the attack on his compound left the president more seriously injured than previously believed.
Marking a major escalation in the Yemen conflict, the attack took place while the president and his supporters were at Friday prayers at the mosque inside his compound.
Many in Yemen see the attack, which killed seven people, not only a military violation but also an attack on Islam.
Sources close to the president told the BBC it is fortunate he did not die, or there would have been a civil war.
Government officials have accused armed tribesmen Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, who is allied to Mr Saleh's opponents, of carrying out the attack, but he has denied it.
A growing number of people in Mr Saleh's inner circle feel the attack may have been carried out by General Ali Mohsen who has broken from Mr Saleh, sided with anti-government protesters and called the president a "madman who is thirsty for more bloodshed".
Mr Saleh has vowed to hit back, but a precarious calm has returned to Yemen's capital as the president seeks medical treatment.
Sporadic shelling and rocket fire rattled Al-Hassaba district of northern Sanaa on Saturday.
A source close to Sheikh Sadiq, locked in deadly battles with Mr Saleh's troops, said the powerful tribal chief was "committed to a ceasefire... despite the continuous shelling" by Saleh forces.
Saudi Arabia, itself vulnerable to religious militant groups operating on Yemeni territory, has been to the fore in efforts by Gulf states to negotiate Mr Saleh's resignation and peaceful handover of power to fractious opposition groups.
He has several times backed away from agreements at the last moment.
Leaving Yemen at a time of such instability, even for medical care, could make it hard for Mr Saleh to retain power.
The true seat of power following Mr Saleh's departure has yet to be decided. But his eldest son, Ahmed, commands the elite Republican Guard and three of his nephews control the country's security and intelligence units.
"These are the most difficult days and we're worried the coming days will be even more difficult," Sanaa resident Ali al Mujahid said.
"We want them to solve their conflicts and leave us to live in peace."
- BBC/Reuters
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