Yemeni opposition celebrates Gaddafi's death

The Yemeni opposition coalition on Thursday welcomed the end of the 41-year rule of fallen Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, while tens of thousands of anti-government protesters who demanded the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh celebrated Libyan people's victory by dancing and singing. "We welcome and congratulate the Libyan people warmly on their remarkable victory over overthrowing Gaddafi and his regime," opposition spokesman Mohamed Qahtan told Xinhua by phone. "While the reports of Gaddafi's death and the triumph of Libyan fighters are live broadcasted by all international media, Saleh's troops are waging heavy street war against the opposition's supporters in Hassaba district in Sanaa and the protesters at the Change Square," he said. "We will escalate peaceful protest movement to force Saleh to step down, and we hope he is the next one who faces similar fate of Gaddafi," Qahtan added. Despite the ongoing heavy gunfire between government forces and opposition fighters, tens of thousands of protesters in the capital Sanaa, southern province of Taiz, southern port city of Aden, west port city of Al-Hodayda and some other major provinces staged rallies in their epicenter camps to celebrate Gaddafi's fall, according to several witnesses. "Because of the cut off of electricity, the protesters watched news of Gaddafi's death on TV powered by generators, celebrating in folklore dancing and singing amid heavy shelling and gunfire," a protest organizer in Sanaa Adel al-Yazidi told Xinhua. During the celebration, the protesters chanted slogans such as "Gaddafi has gone, Saleh is the next one," according to Adel al- Yazidi. Another protest organizer in Sanaa Change Square, Wail al- Rawhani, grumbled that "Saleh's regime tried to distract the people's preoccupation with Gaddafi's death by cutting off power and shelling residential areas of Sanaa." Citizens complained about the blackout which hit Sanaa and other major restive provinces as the government officials declined to provide any reason. A series of huge explosions rocked Sanaa, especially the northern districts of Hassaba, Sofan and Jiraf while heavy gunfire is still going on, said local residents. Meanwhile, several dissident soldiers confirmed to Xinhua that dozens of mortar shells exploded in the military base of the First Armored Division, which is commanded by general Ali Mohsen al- Ahmar who defected from Saleh and joint anti-government protests in March. The shells were fired from government's elite Republican Guards base which run by Saleh's eldest son Ahmed Ali in Subaha military areas in western Sanaa, they said. The soldiers added that several shells also hit the northern and southern parts of the protesters' Change Square, which located a few meters away from the defected military base. Scores of houses in different neighborhoods of the capital were damaged by shell rounds. The official website of the Yemeni ruling party refused to comment on Gaddafi's death, but said that at least three citizens in Hassaba were killed by shells of opposition armed rebels of Sadiq al-Ahmar, who claimed he is backed by the defected army. The opposition-run Suhail TV reported that the new wave of shelling has killed a citizen in Hassaba and injured 18 others. "It will be a violent night," a security official said.