Suicide bomber kills 96 soldiers
Source: Agencies |
May 22, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
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A SUICIDE bomber struck during a military parade rehearsal in Yemen's capital yesterday, killing 96 soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks in the city in years, officials said.
More than 200 people were injured.
"We expect the death toll to rise. Most of the injured here are boys in their teens. Sanaa's hospitals are overwhelmed," said doctor Mohsen al-Dhahari.
The bombing appeared to be a failed assassination attempt against the defense minister, Major General Mohammed Nasser Ahmed, who arrived at the heavily secured city square to greet the assembled troops just minutes before the blast.
Militant group Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), which is affiliated to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in response to the "crimes" of the security forces.
Ansar al-Sharia also said it was responsible for an attack on Sunday in which a US military instructor was seriously wounded.
The Pentagon confirmed that three civilian contractors helping train Yemen's coast guard were attacked.
The three were in a car in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida when they were shot at by militants.
Military officials said the Sanaa bomber was a soldier taking part in the drill, lining up with fellow troops at a main square in the capital, not far from the presidential palace. He belonged to the Central Security, a paramilitary force commanded by a nephew of ousted leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Yemen's new president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, has been embroiled in a power struggle with Saleh loyalists and has sacked several of them along with family members from top positions in the armed forces.
Yesterday's blast left a scene of carnage, with scores of bleeding soldiers lying on the ground as ambulances rushed to the scene. Several severed heads were on the pavement amid large pools of blood and human remains.
"This is a real massacre," said Ahmed Sobhi, one of the soldiers. "There are piles of torn body parts, limbs, and heads. This is unbelievable. I am still shaking. The place turned into hell. I thought this only happens in movies."
The bomber detonated his explosives minutes before the arrival of the defense minister and the chief of staff, who were expected to greet the troops, officials said. The drill was a rehearsal for a parade for the celebration of Yemen's National Day today.
Yemen, the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden, was the site of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors.
There have also been a spate of assaults on the US Embassy in Sanaa, including a 2008 bombing that killed 10 Yemeni guards and four civilians.
More than 200 people were injured.
"We expect the death toll to rise. Most of the injured here are boys in their teens. Sanaa's hospitals are overwhelmed," said doctor Mohsen al-Dhahari.
The bombing appeared to be a failed assassination attempt against the defense minister, Major General Mohammed Nasser Ahmed, who arrived at the heavily secured city square to greet the assembled troops just minutes before the blast.
Militant group Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), which is affiliated to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in response to the "crimes" of the security forces.
Ansar al-Sharia also said it was responsible for an attack on Sunday in which a US military instructor was seriously wounded.
The Pentagon confirmed that three civilian contractors helping train Yemen's coast guard were attacked.
The three were in a car in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida when they were shot at by militants.
Military officials said the Sanaa bomber was a soldier taking part in the drill, lining up with fellow troops at a main square in the capital, not far from the presidential palace. He belonged to the Central Security, a paramilitary force commanded by a nephew of ousted leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Yemen's new president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, has been embroiled in a power struggle with Saleh loyalists and has sacked several of them along with family members from top positions in the armed forces.
Yesterday's blast left a scene of carnage, with scores of bleeding soldiers lying on the ground as ambulances rushed to the scene. Several severed heads were on the pavement amid large pools of blood and human remains.
"This is a real massacre," said Ahmed Sobhi, one of the soldiers. "There are piles of torn body parts, limbs, and heads. This is unbelievable. I am still shaking. The place turned into hell. I thought this only happens in movies."
The bomber detonated his explosives minutes before the arrival of the defense minister and the chief of staff, who were expected to greet the troops, officials said. The drill was a rehearsal for a parade for the celebration of Yemen's National Day today.
Yemen, the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden, was the site of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors.
There have also been a spate of assaults on the US Embassy in Sanaa, including a 2008 bombing that killed 10 Yemeni guards and four civilians.
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