Four killed while praying in Yemeni tribal violence

Gunmen sprayed worshippers with automatic fire while praying in a mosque in a town south of the capital San'a, killing four and wounding seven, security officials said today. Some of the wounded were in critical condition and underwent surgery in hospital.

Gunmen sprayed worshippers with automatic fire while praying in a mosque in a town south of the capital San'a, killing four and wounding seven, security officials said today. Some of the wounded were in critical condition and underwent surgery in hospital.

The shooting on Tuesday happened as the worshippers knelt down while performing the evening prayers, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The attack took place in the town of Yafe, in the Lahj province, 250 kilometres (156 miles) south of San'a, the capital.

The attackers, believed to number four, belonged to the tribe of al-Aamas while the dead, who included the mosque's imam, were members of the rival Abdel-Nabi tribe.

The officials said the attackers surrendered at the end of a police chase.

Last month, a man opened fire on worshippers leaving a northern Yemen mosque, killing six people and wounding 10 in a shooting described as election-related.

Yemen is an impoverished country on the tip of the Arabian peninsula. Large parts of it are lawless, inhabited by tribes that often kidnap foreigners or use firearms to settle scores with rivals or to express discontent with the government.