SANA'A: Fighters from Yemen's most powerful tribes fired on government buildings and soldiers retaliated with intense shelling Tuesday, killing 38 on both sides, as the uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh threatened to become a militia-led revolt after street protests and Arab mediation failed. As the battles developed, the heart of Yemen's capital was turned into a no man's land with heavy gunfire, mortar rounds and artillery fire. Both sides traded blame for triggering the latest violence, further deepening the rifts and suggesting Yemen could be stumbling toward a bloody showdown between well-armed tribal militias and pro-Saleh troops. – Associated Press A statement by opposition groups accused Saleh of “dragging the country to chaos.” The Interior Ministry, in turn, blamed the “bloodshed” on Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar, the head of Yemen's largest tribe, called the Hashid. Saleh has refused to step down despite three months of nearly nonstop protests calling for an end to his 32-year rule. He also snubbed attempts by Arab neighbors to negotiate his exit. But the decision by al-Ahmar's tribe and others to take up arms sharply alters the balance. Yemen's tribes are considered essential allies for any government to survive. Al-Ahmar and others had abandoned Saleh two months ago even though he is, too, a member of the Hashid clan. But the tribes decided to keep their weapons in check even as government forces fired on street demonstrations in attacks that have claimed more than 150 lives. Now, however, the battles that began Monday may significantly increase pressure on Saleh's regime _ either by encouraging more clan leaders to join the fight or pushing more military officials to abandon the government. “The defection of Sheik al-Ahmar was a very harsh blow because any ruler in Yemen survives only though tribal support,” said Faris al-Saqqaf, a political analyst at the independent Future Research Center in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. “Saleh is slapping al-Ahmar in the face just as al-Ahmar slapped him in the face and he wants revenge.” Tuesday's clashes broke out after government forces tried to storm al-Ahmar's compound in Sanaa's Hassaba district, an area that includes government ministries and the headquarters of Saleh's ruling party. Hundreds of tribal fighters came to al-Ahmar's aid and pushed back government troops to take control of strategic points around the district, setting up roadblocks on streets flooded by water mains blasted by mortar shells. Militiamen also used chains to seal the doors of the ruling party headquarters and several ministries. __
