Government forces kept on shelling Yemen’s second city of Taez on Saturday, killing three civilians and two anti-regime gunmen.

Government forces kept on shelling Yemen’s second city of Taez on Saturday, killing three civilians and two anti-regime gunmen.

According to medics and witnesses, three members of one family were killed in shelling blamed on government forces, while two gunmen were shot dead during clashes with forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The five bodies were taken to a field hospital in Al-Rawda neighbourhood in central Taez, which is under the control of anti-Saleh protesters.

The new casualties take the death toll of clashes and heavy bombing by government forces since Thursday to 30, after nine people, including a young girl, two soldiers and colonel, were killed on Friday.
On Thursday, 16 others, including five soldiers and three gunmen, were all killed in clashes and bombing.

The escalation of violence came hot on the heels of an order by Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi late on Friday to cease fire and negotiate a pullout of troops and militiamen from the city.

Hadi now holds the constitutional powers of Saleh who last month in Riyadh signed a Gulf-brokered power transfer deal under which he transferred powers to his deputy and remains honorary president for three months.