SANA'A, Yemen: The son of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has led a crackdown arresting dozens of military officers suspected of turning against his wounded father, including many one of the country's most elite forces, the Republican Guards, military officials said Friday. The arrests hinted at growing dissent within one of the key units that Saleh has relied on most to retain power in the face of five months of massive street protests demanding his ouster. The regular military has already been fractured by the uprising, with some units breaking away to the opposition. But at least outwardly, the Republican Guards and other elite units that are the best trained and equipped in the country have remained loyal, leading the fight against Saleh's enemies. Those elite units are led by Saleh's close relatives, including his son Ahmed, who commands the Republican Guards and Special Forces. Ahmed ordered the arrests at a time when he is trying to ensure the continuation of his father's rule, with Saleh out of the country undergoing treatment in Saudi Arabia after he was wounded in a blast at his presidential palace in June. The military officials could not give an exact number of those who were arrested, but they said they numbered in the dozens and that most came from the Republican Guards. Others came from the Central Security Forces, which are led by Ahmed's cousin Yahia. The arrested officers came under a variety of suspicions of disloyalty. Some allegedly opened secret talks with Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, the most prominent figure in the regular military to defect to the opposition. Others were suspected of giving information to Saleh's opponents or refused to open fire on civilians in defiance of orders, one of the officials said. Another military official at the southern province of Shabwa said more than 10 high ranking officers were detained after speaking publicly about their “loyalty to the revolution.” The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. But fresh reports said Saleh was so severely injured in an assassination attempt that it is uncertain when he will return to the country, Yemen Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has said. In fresh fighting overnight in southern Yemen, militants linked with Al-Qaeda killed five Yemeni soldiers trying to retake control of a vital football stadium seized by the insurgents on Wednesday, a local official said. Hadi told CNN in an interview that he saw Saleh immediately after the bomb attack and the Yemeni leader had a piece of wood between his ribs in his chest and burns to his face, arms and upper body. Hadi said according to the doctors no one can tell when Saleh might return. “Days, weeks, months,” he told CNN through a translator. “It could be months, this is a decision up to the doctors.” Opposition officials meanwhile said that more than 300 government soldiers had defected, in a further blow to Saleh as he recovers from his injuries. In a message sent through his foreign minister on state television Wednesday, Saleh called for dialogue with the opposition to implement a Gulf-brokered plan for a transfer of power.
