Four killed as Yemeni President Saleh makes TV appearance
Four people were killed in celebrations as Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh appeared on television on Thursday. This was his first public appearance since being badly injured in a bomb attack last month.
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Celebratory gunshots were heard across the country but some of them claimed unintentional victims.
One man was accidentally killed when Saleh’s supporters fired gunshots into the air in the capital Sanaa.
A further three were killed in the city of Ibb.
The celebrations also left many wounded.
Saleh, who has faced months of oppositiono protests, has undergone more than eight successful operations in Saudi Arabia. he spoke from hospital in Riyadh with his face badly burned and his hands wrapped in bandages.
He made no mention of plans to return to Yemen, only saying, “We will face challenge with challenge.”
Despite several months of unrest, Saleh refuses to cede power saying he will serve out his current term, which expires in 2013.
He was wounded on 3 June as he prayed at a mosque inside the presidential compound.
His speech lasted only a few minutes but delighted his supporters. Fireworks lit up the sky in Yemen.
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