Yemen’s President Hit Hard by Rocket Attack

Posted on Jun 7, 2011

defenselink.mil / Helene C. Stikkel

Friday’s attack on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s palace in his country’s capital city of Sanaa took a bigger toll than previously reported, as the news emerged Tuesday that it wasn’t clear when he’d be able to return to office given the gravity of his injuries. Nonetheless, Saleh is still bent on hanging on to the position he’s held for the past 33 years, according to the BBC.  —KA

BBC:

It was not immediately clear how severe Mr Saleh’s burns and other injuries were but, on Saturday, sources close to the president told the BBC that he had second-degree burns on his chest and face, as well as a piece of shrapnel almost 7.6cm (3in) long under his heart.

The president underwent surgery on Monday to remove shards of wood from his chest and treat the heavy burns on his face and chest, AP reports.

The 69-year-old has not been seen since Friday’s attack when rockets struck his presidential palace, killing seven people and wounding senior officials in what officials said was an assassination attempt.

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