Suicide bombing in Yemen Kills at least 96 people

[Commissar MercZ]

This is undoubtedly the worst of the violence to hit Yemen with its instability arising from secessionist movements, tribal disputes, and more recently the demonstrations against the government. The bombing took place in military rehearsals for a parade commemorating Yemen's National Day, which was to be on May 22nd. The day marks the unification of North Yemen (Yemen Arab Republic) and South Yemen (People's Democratic Republic of Yemen) in 1990.

Most if not all of the casualties were soldiers who were near the disguised bomber when he set off his explosives. Authorities say they thwarted two further attacks. A group affiliated with the regional al-Qaeda branch called Ansar al-Sharia took responsibility for the attack.

Al-Qaeda claims deadly Yemen suicide blast
Bomber targets soldiers in central Sanaa on the eve of National Day, killing at least 96 people and injuring 200 more.
Last Modified: 21 May 2012 20:38

Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the centre of the Yemeni capital thathas leftnearly 100 people dead.

Officials havesaid a bomber dressed in military uniform targetedsoldiers rehearsing for a parade in Sanaato mark Yemen's National Day.

Yemen's defence minister and chief of staff were both present at the event but neither was hurt.

Al Jazeera's Jane Ferguson, reporting from Sanaa, said that the death tollwas still climbingby lateMonday afternoon.

"We are hearing reports that 96 people were killed and many more injured,"our correspondentsaid. "There have been requests for blood donations and the death toll could go even higher."

The huge explosion left scenes of carnage at Sabaeen Square, with bloodied victims strewn across the 10-lane road where the rehearsal was held on Monday morning not far from the presidential palace.

"We had just finished the parade. We were saluting our commander when a huge explosion went off," said soldier Amr Habib. "It was a gruesome attack. Many soldiers were killed and others had their arms and legs blown off."

Yemeni PresidentAbd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is scheduled to attend Tuesday's parade marking the22nd anniversary of the unification of north and south Yemen.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attack, saying that those behind the attack must be brought to justice.

"The secretary general calls on all in Yemen to reject the use of violence in all its forms and manifestations, and expects them (to) play a full and constructive role in implementing Yemen's political transition agreement," Ban said in a written statement.

Claiming responsibility

Al-Qaeda's wing in Yemen said the suicide bombing was in revenge for what it called the US war on its followers in southern Yemen and that it had targeted the Yemeni military brass.

The group also warned in a statement received by the Reuters news agency that more attacks will follow if the military campaign in the southern province of Abyan did not stop.

"We will take revenge, God willing, and the flames of war will reach you everywhere, and what happened is but the start of a jihad project in defence of honour and sanctities," the statement said.

But one of the government investigators said preliminary findings suggested the suicide bomber was a rogue soldier rather than a man in a disguise.

"The suicide bomber was dressed in a military uniform. He had a belt of explosives underneath," said a man who identified himself as Colonel Amin al-Alghabati, his hands and uniform flecked with blood.

IN VIDEO
A US military instructor was shot and seriously wounded on Sunday in an attack also claimed by Ansar al-Sharia, which is affiliated with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Yemeni government soldiers are waging a fierce campaign in the country's south againstAQAPfighters who havetaken advantage of political instability to gain territory.

Yemeni troops closed in on the southern militant-held town of Jaar on Sunday in heavy fighting, part of a new US-backed offensive launched earlier this month to regain control of territory and towns seized by Ansar al-Sharia.

Our correspondent said the blast appeared to have been intended to send a signal to the government and the military.

"If they were targeting high-profile guests, like the president at the parade, then they would have attacked tomorrow," she said.

"This was a message to the authorities that they are willing and able to strike at the heart of the military and that nobody here is safe."

[Deus Oblivionis]

Y'know, I'm not actually surprised by this at all.

I was listening to NPR the other day, when the topic on Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula(?) popped up, and it enlightened me on a few things.

To tell the truth, I hadn't learned we, the United States, were in Yemen until that program popped up, and I had no idea what was going on there.

Let's be perfectly honest: the US drones are not doing the job they should be. We're not even sure if the drones are hitting the members or just innocent civilians. It's to be expected that the Yemens are in some way helping out Al-Qaeda and allowed this attack to happen.

Then again, I could be reading this too deeply and throwing in my own thoughts into this, but...

[Commissar MercZ]

Originally Posted by Rikudō_Sennin

Y'know, I'm not actually surprised by this at all.

I was listening to NPR the other day, when the topic on Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula(?) popped up, and it enlightened me on a few things.

To tell the truth, I hadn't learned we, the United States, were in Yemen until that program popped up, and I had no idea what was going on there.

Let's be perfectly honest: the US drones are not doing the job they should be. We're not even sure if the drones are hitting the members or just innocent civilians. It's to be expected that the Yemens are in some way helping out Al-Qaeda and allowed this attack to happen.

Then again, I could be reading this too deeply and throwing in my own thoughts into this, but...

Well, there's a lot of tensions in Yemen to begin with that feeds into instability. A very poor nation with tensions existing from a corrupt political sphere and economic exploitation has created many youth with little prospects in life who have thrown in their lot with other groups to try and effect change. The ongoing violence though has made people forget that Yemen was one of the first countries that erupted after Egypt's protests saw the removal of President Mubarak and had a fairly vibrant one until a lot of tribal and secessionist disputes also came into the open along with the protests.

United States has been involved in Yemen for a long time, being similar in Egypt in the respect that it tries to right off the disputes currently in the region as a matter of a secular government threatened by religious fundamentalists, though there's more to that. There's been I guess what one could call disgust with the way the current alliance with the US operates as more one of the US telling Yemen to jump, and the government asking "how high?".

Before these protests, there was actually a period of significant issues with Shi'a tribes in the north of the country that is still continuing, though not at the level it used to be. I remember making a thread about it, and it was then really the US involvement in Yemen began to increase as they felt the Shi'a tribes could pose for a way for the al-Qaeda regional branch or even Iran to cause issues through.