Gun battle erupts at airport as reporter is pulled from plane in Yemen

Men stranded at the Aden International Airport, wait as heavy gunbattles between a unit of police commandos loyal to longtime autocratic former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and security forces loyal to the current president, erupted in Aden, Yemen, Thursday, March 19, 2015. Forces loyal to Saleh stormed a section of the international airport in the southern port city of Aden on Thursday, triggering heavy gunbattles with security forces loyal to the current president. The fighting forced the closure of the facility and passengers on a flight to Cairo were scuttled off the plane and into the terminal building. (AP Photo/Hamza Hendawi) Men stranded at the Aden International Airport, wait as heavy gunbattles between a unit of police commandos loyal to longtime autocratic former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and security forces loyal to the current president, erupted in Aden, Yemen, Thursday, March 19, 2015. Forces loyal to Saleh stormed a section of the international airport in the southern port city of Aden on Thursday, triggering heavy gunbattles with security forces loyal to the current president. The fighting forced the closure of the facility and passengers on a flight to Cairo were scuttled off the plane and into the terminal building. (AP Photo/Hamza Hendawi)

By Associated Press March 19, 2015 7 min read

A Yemeni man wears a gas mask that he looted from a base that belonged to police special forces loyal to ousted longtime autocratic President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as he walks around outside the base in Aden, Yemen, Thursday, March 19, 2015. Militiamen loyal to the current President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi ride on armored vehicles in the background. (AP Photo/Hamza Hendawi)

A Yemeni man shows off a helmet and a flak jacket he looted from a base that belonged to police special forces loyal to ousted longtime autocratic President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as he stands on a street outside the base in Aden, Yemen, Thursday, March 19, 2015. Forces loyal to former President Saleh stormed the international airport in the southern port city of Aden on Thursday. Later, the troops and militiamen loyal to the current President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi completely retook the airport. They then stormed the nearby base of the pro-Saleh police special forces. (AP Photo/Hamza Hendawi)

ADEN, Yemen (AP) – There were some brief bursts of gunfire in the distance as we boarded the bus from the terminal to our plane on the tarmac in the airport of the Yemeni city of Aden. No one paid much attention. Tensions had been growing in the city for weeks. One of my fellow passengers greeted the noise with a hearty laugh and shouted “Erhebou!” – Yemeni Arabic for “Hello there!”

I took my window seat, 14F, and got out my Arabic novel for the flight to Cairo. For the next 20 minutes, passengers argued with crew over seating. “If people sit wherever they please, then we should not be issued with seat numbers,” a young Yemeni woman speaking English lectured a flight attendant who wanted her to take a seat other than the one she was assigned.

Finally, everyone was seated. Then the captain’s voice came over the intercom: “Will passengers please leave the aircraft immediately.”

No one moved. “Will passengers please leave the aircraft, the airport has been closed,” he said, more commanding this time.

Many still did not leave. “You must disembark now,” a flight attendant barked.