ABU DHABI Ñ Yemen has been struck by a wave of unrest amid the U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan.

Tens of thousands of university students and Islamic militants have protested the military offensive against Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden and his hosts in Afghanistan. The demonstrations have intensified over the last week.

On Saturday, more than 40,000 people demonstrated near Sanaa against the U.S. offensive in Afghanistan. The protest included Islamic activists as well as tribal gropus.

Many of the demonstrators were seen with pistols and other firearms. They demanded government support for Bin Laden and his Islamic allies.

Yemeni authorities have arrested dozens of Islamic fundamentalists in a drive to neutralize anti-American feelings in the country. President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been under pressure from Washington to cooperate in the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism, which includes the investigation into the bombing of the USS Cole in Aden a year ago.

Seventeen U.S. sailors were killed in the attack, attributed to Bin Laden.

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