Yemen’s Saleh thanks US, KSA

Embattled Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh has expressed gratitude to the US and Saudi Arabia for supporting his regime, as his troops killed 100 protesters in five days, Press TV reports.

Saleh blamed the violence in Yemen on what he called “saboteurs,” calling for an end to the unrest in the Arab country.

He made the remarks in a televised speech in the capital Sana’a, which was aired on Sunday.

The speech came as Yemeni regime troops killed 100 people and injured more than 1,000 others over the past five days.

In the latest violence, Yemeni forces killed two tribal fighters and injured 18 anti-regime demonstrators in Sana’a on Sunday.

Elsewhere in the capital, regime troops used live rounds against anti-government protesters, who were calling for the ouster of Saleh.

Three people were also killed and three others were wounded in clashes in the southern city of Taizz on Sunday.

Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis continue to call on Saleh to leave the country.

Saleh returned from Saudi Arabia on September 23 after receiving treatment for wounds sustained in an attack on the presidential palace in June.

According to local reports, hundreds of Yemenis have been killed and thousands more have been injured since the onset of the popular uprising against the US-backed Saleh regime in late January.