Four soldiers killed in Yemen clashes

SANAA, Yemen, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Four Yemeni soldiers were killed Saturday in armed clashes between security forces and tribal members whose leader has been detained for two months.

A local official told United Press International the clashes erupted in al-Jofe province east of Sanaa when an army unit launched a campaign to arrest supporters of Sheikh Mujahed bin Haidar, who have been violently protesting his imprisonment.

He said authorities failed to arrest any of the tribal leader's supporters when other tribes in nearby towns joined the fighting.

Last week, hundreds of clansmen, including officials, gathered north of the capital to meet with President Ali Abdullah Saleh to demand bin Haidar's release, but the meeting did not take place.