Yemeni civilian killed in Sanaa clash

A Yemeni civilian was shot dead Wednesday in a shootout between the Republican Guard and gunmen loyal to dissident tribal chief Sadiq al-Ahmar, witnesses said. The clash broke out when a military commission attempted to remove barriers near the interior ministry in Amran Street, Hasaba neighbourhood, in an effort to return the capital to normalcy following unrest. Three others were wounded in the gunbattle, witnesses said. The commission plans to complete the lifting of barricades from the northern district of Hasaba by Thursday, said General Fadhel al-Qawassi, a member of the commission. The commission was formed by Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi who has been charged with managing the transfer of power and designated to serve as a consensus president after the expected departure of Ali Abdullah Saleh in February. The aim of the commission is to restore stability, as well as reforming the security service controlled partly by Saleh loyalists, in accordance with the transition deal signed by Saleh in November after more than 10 months of protests against his 33-year rule. Violence in Yemen has continued since the agreement was inked.