Airstrikes kill 40 pro-govt Yemeni tribesmen

Government airstrikes in southern Yemen targeting al-Qaida-linked militants accidentally killed 40 pro-government tribesmen, a Yemeni security official and a tribal chief said.Airstrikes reflect the deteriorating security situation that has spread across the impoverished, heavily armed country since the popular uprising against longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh began six months ago.

Armed tribesmen are battling government forces in a number of areas around the country, and Islamist militants, some linked to al-Qaida, have overrun entire towns in the country's restive south and are now fighting government forces and tribes that remain loyal to Saleh.The president has clung to power despite the months of protests and being seriously wounded in an attack on his palace compound in the capital, Sanaa, on June 3.