SANAA, Yemen, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- An armed clash erupted in the Yemeni capital Saturday between security forces and tribal fighters loyal to the parliamentary speaker Abdullah al-Ahmar.
The fighting occurred in Sanaa's main commercial center when military police tried to enforce a new government ban on civilians carrying weapons and attempted to disarm tribal chief Ali Hmeid Juleidan, eyewitnesses told United Press International.
Juleidan called some of his relatives to defend him. After an exchange of fire the police's own reinforcements forced the group to flee the scene.
There were no casualties in Saturday's fighting, but a police source linked the incident to another tribal clash last week involving Speaker al-Ahmar's four sons. Juleidan is closely associated with Abdullah al-Ahmar, an Islamist opposition figure and tribal leader.
In last week's bloody confrontation in Sanaa police tried to disarm the speaker's sons, and Al-Ahmar's youngest son was among the wounded.
The ban against weapons is part of the Yemeni governments attempt to shake off its reputation as a haven for Islamic terrorists. Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaida terror organization, which the United States holds responsible for last year's Sept 11 attacks on New York and Washington had training camps in the Yemeni hinterland.
But a Yemeni official said enforcing the arms ban was a huge challenge because virtually every Yemeni citizen typically owned more than one weapon.
