The continued civil unrest and violence in the Arab nation of Yemen is getting worse by the hour and the threat of radical Islamists taking control of the government in the coming days appears quite likely, according to U.S. intelligence sources.
Fox News Channel reports that Yemen's beleaguered President has been wounded by rebels in Sanaa but the report is still considered unconfirmed.
One report coming out of Saudi Arabia's neighbor is that tribesmen led, in many cases by al-Qaeda leaders are marching into Yemen's capital city to attack government security forces and leaders.
Reports claim that tens of thousands of Yemeni men and foreign fighters who've joined in the civil war are on their way to Sanaa hopes of either pressuring Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign from his post or else remove him from office by force.
Saleh, however, refuses to resign and believes that his more than 30 years as the ruler of Yemen give him the right to stay in office, say U.S. intelligence experts.
The tribesmen are expected to fight alongside the armed militia of tribal leader Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, who started battling government forces in Sanaa last week. On early Friday, government troops backed by tanks were seen approaching the home of Ahmar. With the tribal reinforcement, a bloody battle is expected between the Yemeni security forces and the tribemen.
Civilians from Sanaa, who are not combatants, are anticipating escalation of violence and have already fled the city. Automobiles and trucks formed long lines at gas stations to fill up for long road trips.
Aside from tribal groups, the Yemeni government is also dealing with thousands of anti-government protesters who have camped at Change Square to demand Saleh’s resignation. Gunmen continue to fire into the crowd, while snipers -- believed to be members of al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula -- were positioned in makeshift "birds' nests" on nearby rooftops.
The urban combat goes on regardless of a ceasefire agreement made last week.
This may be the current regime's final battle and it's likely al-Qaeda will have a safe haven much like the one they enjoyed in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. A worst case scenario, according to some U.S. counterterrorism experts, would be to have the government -- and the entire nation -- run by al-Qaeda.
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