TAIZ, Nov. 2 — The city of Taiz has witnessed another week of intense armed conflict between state  security forces and armed opposition members. Eleven men died as a result of the violence, with an additional 40 injured.

Dr. Sadeq Al-Shuja’, manager of the field hospital on Taiz’s opposition-held grounds, said that he is expecting the number of dead to increase as many of the injured are in critical condition.

“We need all the help we can get, and we need blood donations and doctors to come to the rescue,” he said.

The conflict was most intense on Wednesday morning, when Republican Guard and National Security forces, as well as the 33rd military division, all launched strikes against armed opposition members in residential areas of Taiz.

This most recent conflict started when supporters of the ongoing revolution prevented quantities of ammunition from entering the education office, located in the city's center. The education office was converted into a state military station months ago.

General Abdullah Qiran, director of security for Taiz, had recently held an emergency meeting with city military leaders last week in the governor's absence. The meeting resulted in a decree that all directors for state radio and other forms of media, as well as the director of the Office of Culture, be changed on the pretext that they are not following instructions and conveying what is really happening in the city. State media outlets criticized the decision, saying that while it will be implemented, Qiran is not authorized to make such a decision.

Taiz governor Hamoud Khaled Al-Sofi, commenting on the decision, said that “Qiran is stepping outside of his jurisdiction. If the change [of media directors] does happen, we will deal with it when it happens.”

Several areas stuck in the middle of the recent conflict have been under siege for the last few weeks and many families have been forced to flee their homes. Locals have also complained that military planes hovering at a low altitude have frightened women and children.

Ahmed Mohammed, a citizen of Taiz, said that he has been staying in his basement with his family the whole time. “We keep hearing the shelling and bombs which shake our house.”