32 protesters shot dead in Yemen bloodbath

Yemen's capital turned into a bloodbath with at least 32 people killed as regime loyalists on Friday raked pro-democracy protesters with bullets, in the deadliest clash in nearly a month of unrest, medics said.

Witnesses said pro-Saleh "thugs" opened fire on protesters from rooftops around a square at Sanaa University, after demonstrators attempted to dismantle a barricade.

At least 32 people were killed and more than 200 wounded, shooting the death toll up to more than 70 since the outbreak of demonstrations against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-year rule.

Dozens of people have been killed and many more wounded in clashes around the country since March 10, when Saleh promised to protect protesters from violence and offered to devolve power to parliament under a new constitution.

Yemen is a US ally in the war against Al-Qaeda, and has also been fighting Shiite rebels and a southern secessionist movement.

A Yemen-based outfit called "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula" is considered the biggest threat to the US homeland, according to a State Department official.