Sana'a, Yemen - Sixteen people, including six policemen and six al-Qaeda militants, were killed in a car-bomb attack outside the US embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana'a, officials said.

Witnesses told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that armed men in a car fired a rocket-propelled grenade and drove into a road block 100 metres from the embassy's compound, followed by another car loaded with explosives.

They said the second car exploded near the compound's main gate, sending smoke billowing over the area. Residents said heavy gunfire followed the two blasts.

The men in the first car, who were dressed in police uniforms, then clashed with security forces guarding the fortified compound that also hosts the ambassador's residence.

Sana'a, Yemen - Six policemen and six suspected al-Qaeda attackers were killed in a car-bomb attack outside the US embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana'a Wednesday, witnesses and medics said.

Witnesses told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that a car carrying armed men in police uniforms fired an RPG shell and drove into a road block around 100 metres outside the embassy's compound followed by another car loaded with explosives.

They said the second car exploded near the compound's main gate, sending smoke billowing over the area.

Residents said heavy gunfire followed the two blasts.

The men in the first car then clashed with security forces guarding the fortified compound that also hosts the ambassador's residence.

Sana'a, Yemen - Two explosions were heard in the vicinity of the US embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana'a Wednesday, according to witnesses.

Sana'a, Yemen 

Sana'a, Yemen - Yemeni aviation authorities forced a US- registered aircraft to land Saturday evening at Sana'a international airport after the small plane entered the country's airspace without permission, airport officials said.

The air-traffic control in Sana'a ordered the pilot of the twin- engine Cessna 421 to land in Sana'a for lacking a clearance from air- defence authorities to fly over Yemeni airspace, the officials said.

"The plane was grounded in Sana'a this evening after it was found overflying Yemeni airspace without prior permission," one official, who wanted not to be identified, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Sana'a, Yemen  - Yemeni authorities on Thursday released 12 prominent opposition activists in the country's south accused of instigating civil disorder through a string of violent protests in several southern cities, opposition sources said.

The sources told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa the men were released after President Ali Abdullah Saleh granted them pardons.