Yemen medic: Shelling in central city kills 6

Yemenis carry a wounded protestor from the site of clashes with security forces in Taiz, Yemen, Wednesday. AP

SANAA, Yemen—A Yemeni medical official says six civilians have been killed in shelling by government forces in the central city of Taiz.

Violence has escalated in the Arab world’s poorest country following nearly nine months of popular uprising seeking to oust longtime autocratic President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The official said government troops started shelling central Taiz early Friday, killing six people. One was a 9-year-old boy, and 22 people were hurt. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

In the capital Sanaa, thousands of demonstrators organized competing rallies for and against the regime. Anti-government activists said they planned to march after Friday Muslim prayers toward a central avenue that has often been the site of clashes between protesters and security forces.