Yemeni officials conveyed that five troops and two tribesmen were killed in clashes in the south of the country. Deputy governor of Lahuj province, Yasser al-Yamani, was quoted as saying the five troops were killed in an attack Saturday in the provincial town of Radfan. Local security officials added two civilians also died in clashes near the town.
The unrest in the south started last Monday, when residents demanded secession from the north.
On his part, Yemen's Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi said that the elements who called for separation from the north were receiving media, moral and financial from abroad. In an interview with 26September weekly, al-Qirbi said that these elements call for separation to get posts or their interests damaged due to the unification.
