DOZENS DEAD IN BLASTS IN SANAA AND EAST YEMEN
Sanaa, 15 Dzulhijjah 1435/9 Oktober 2014 (MINA) – More than 40 people have been killed in a suicide bombing in the centre of Yemen’s capital and and car bomb attacks against two military bases in eastern Hadarmout province, Thusrday.
Al Jazeera‘s correspondent in Sanaa quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting that the explosion seemed to have been targeting a gathering of Houthis in Tahrir Square, who were planning to stage a protest.
“A bomber blew himself up while being searched by Houthis near a bank building,” a security source told Anadolu Agency.
Our correspondent added that witnesses told him that the attack showed the hallmarks of al-Qaeda, although no one has yet claimed responsibility.
In eastern Hadarmout province, a car bomb struck an army checkpoint, while 13 soldiers were killed in another car bomb attack on al-Mukalla army base.
The blasts come a day after Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, picked to be Yemen’s prime minister as part of a UN-brokered peace deal, turned down the offer. Houthi rebels had rejected his nomination.
The Houthi rebels swooped south into the capital city from their Sadaa stronghold in the north last month, demanding a new government and more political power for their community.
In addition to the Houthi advance, Yemeni authorities also had to deal with southern secessionist aspirations and a bloody campaign by the al-Qaeda franchise operating in the country.
Impoverished Yemen, which borders oil-rich Saudi Arabia, is a key US ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda, which has carried out persistent attacks on the security forces.
Western and Gulf Arab countries are worried that instability in Yemen could strengthen the armed group and have supported a UN-backed political transition since 2012 led by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi meant to shepherd the country to stability after decades of autocracy.
Houthis – Shia group also known as Ansarullah, or Partisans of God, who have been at war with the government since 2004. They demand resignation of government, more political inclusion and access to the sea. Strongholds include Saada, al-Jawf and the Jeraf district inside Sanaa. (T/P001/P3)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
