Loyalists of Yemen President on Friday attacked demonstrators gathered south of the capital calling for Saleh’s trial.

Loyalists of Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday attacked demonstrators gathered south of the capital calling for the leader's trial, a protest organizer told media sources.

Further south, in Abyan province, seven soldiers were killed late Thursday near Zinjibar in an ambush by Al-Qaeda suspects, a military source said, adding three militants were also killed in subsequent fighting.

Assailants, some of whom were armed, attacked a group of 2,000 demonstrators in Hizyaz, a suburb south of Sanaa, before they could join a rally headed to the capital, said Mondher al-Asbahi.

"Dozens of demonstrators were wounded, struck by stones, and one was hit by a bullet," said Asbahi, a member of a Taez youth group organizing the rally.

The "March for Life" procession, which kicked off in the southwestern city of Taez, has amassed tens of thousands of participants along the 270-kilometer road to Sanaa.

The demonstration is likely to reach the capital on Saturday, Asbahi said.

Tribesmen are escorting them to ensure the security of the march, which was the target of an armed attack in the province of Dhamar, a tribal chief said.

Several demonstrations have called for Saleh to be tried for murder, nepotism and corruption, since he signed a Gulf-brokered deal which calls on him to step down in February in exchange for immunity.

Elsewhere, 10 people were killed in a sixth night of clashes pitting militants linked to Al-Qaeda against Yemeni troops trying to retake Zinjibar, Abyan's provincial capital.

Al-Qaeda has profited from the instability caused by 11 months of protests against Saleh, strengthening its violent influence across the south of the country.