State Dept. to Americans: Stay away from Yemen

SANAA, Yemen - Government supporters wielding knives and handguns attacked protesters in southern Yemen on Sunday, leaving one dead in the latest in weeks of demonstrations demanding the president step down.

In a separate development in the increasingly chaotic Middle Eastern nation, suspected al Qaeda gunmen killed four soldiers from the elite Republican Guard forces in a mountainous region.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State advised on Sunday that Americans should not to travel to Yemen and said U.S. citizens currently in the country should consider leaving.

Even before Yemen was hit by the wave of protests that began in mid-February, the country's government was weak and struggling to contain one of the world's most active al Qaeda branches, a secessionist rebellion in the south and a Shiite uprising in the north.

Complete coverage: Anger in the Arab World

Then protesters caught a wave of unrest that is sweeping many Arab nations, calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 32 years in power, a demand he has repeatedly rejected while trying to assuage opposition groups.

Saleh has said he would not seek another term in office in 2013, and offered to form a unity government with opposition figures, but the overtures have failed to appease the protesters.

Eyewitnesses said by telephone Sunday that "government thugs" marched toward the protesters in the southern province of Ibb without being stopped by security forces. They spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisal.

One protester was killed and 37 others were injured in an attack that took place on the main square, where protesters have been camping for a week.

The clashes came after some 200,000 protesters in Ibb, 120 miles south of Sanaa, took part in a demonstration Friday calling on Saleh to step down.

Meanwhile, security officials said the suspected al Qaeda gunmen ambushed the soldiers while traveling in a vehicle to distribute food to fellow troops manning checkpoints. They said the assailants managed to flee.

Al Qaeda militants have frequently attacked army soldiers in the central Marib province, an al Qaeda stronghold and one of several areas where the central government has little authority.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief the media.

Al Qaeda's activity has grown in Yemen over the last couple years, with several foiled terror attacks in the United States and elsewhere traced back to operatives based here.

Citing terrorism and civil unrest, the U.S. government on Sunday advised Americans not to travel to Yemen and said Americans in the impoverished Arab nation should leave.

The State Department also authorized family members of U.S. Embassy staff and nonessential personnel to leave, saying the threat level in the country was "extremely high." The British government issued a similar warning to its citizens on Saturday.

The State Department on Sunday advised Americans not to travel to Yemen and said U.S. citizens currently in the country should consider leaving.

The travel warning also said the department has authorized family members of U.S. Embassy staff and non-essential personnel to leave the country.

The advisory cited terrorism and civil unrest in the impoverished Arab nation and said that in the event of a crisis evacuation options would be severely limited due to "the lack of infrastructure, geographic constraints, and other security concerns."

The State Department said the threat level in Yemen, where demonstrators are calling on the country's besieged president to leave office, is "extremely high."

"Piracy in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean is also a security threat to maritime activities in the region. Terrorist organizations continue to be active in Yemen, including Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula," the travel warning said.

The State Department said the U.S. government remained concerned about possible attacks against American citizens, facilities, businesses, and perceived U.S. and Western interests.

Suspected al Qaeda fighters ambushed and killed four Yemeni soldiers on Sunday who were distributing food to other troops manning checkpoints in a remote, mountainous region of the country.