Yemen Capital Sanaa Hit by Car Bomb Attack
BBC World Service
The wreckage of a car is seen at the site of a car bomb attack in the capital Sanaa on 29 June 2015.
A car bomb has exploded in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, causing an unknown number of casualties, officials say.
There are conflicting reports over who was the target of the attack.
AP says it was targeting the homes of several Shia Houthi rebel leaders, but Reuters reports that a group of mourners were hit, wounding 28 people.
Shia Houthi rebel fighters have been fighting forces loyal to Yemen's exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi for several months.
Saudi-led air strikes targeting Houthi positions, which launched in March, have had a devastating impact on civilians.
In a separate development on Monday, the rebels said in a statement they had launched a Scud missile across the border at a Saudi military base "in response to the crimes of the brutal Saudi aggression".
If confirmed, it would be the second such attack since fighting began.
An attempt to send a Scud missile earlier this month was intercepted and shot down by Saudi Arabia before causing any damage.
Yemeni civilians have bore the brunt of the fighting and air strikes in recent months
Monday's attack took place behind a military hospital in Sanaa.
The AP news agency quoted officials close to the Houthi rebels, who said the blast targeted the homes of several Houthi leaders.
But Reuters quoted a medical official who said the blast "injured 28 people including 12 women in a building where victims of a previous attack were being mourned".
The Islamic State (IS) militant group has reportedly posted a statement online saying its affiliate group based in Sanaa was behind the attack. IS has carried out a number of attacks in the capital in recent weeks.
Separately on Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a full investigation after a Saudi-led coalition air strike hit a UN compound in the southern city of Aden on Sunday, injuring one guard.
Yemen has been in turmoil since Houthi rebels overran Sanaa last September, forcing the government of President Mansour Abdrabbuh Hadi to flee.
Three months ago, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia began targeting the rebels with air strikes. Since then, more than 2,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 1,400 civilians, according to the UN.
The wreckage of a car is seen at the site of a car bomb attack in the capital Sanaa on 29 June 2015.
A car bomb has exploded in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, causing an unknown number of casualties, officials say.
There are conflicting reports over who was the target of the attack.
AP says it was targeting the homes of several Shia Houthi rebel leaders, but Reuters reports that a group of mourners were hit, wounding 28 people.
Shia Houthi rebel fighters have been fighting forces loyal to Yemen's exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi for several months.
Saudi-led air strikes targeting Houthi positions, which launched in March, have had a devastating impact on civilians.
In a separate development on Monday, the rebels said in a statement they had launched a Scud missile across the border at a Saudi military base "in response to the crimes of the brutal Saudi aggression".
If confirmed, it would be the second such attack since fighting began.
An attempt to send a Scud missile earlier this month was intercepted and shot down by Saudi Arabia before causing any damage.
Yemeni civilians have bore the brunt of the fighting and air strikes in recent months
Monday's attack took place behind a military hospital in Sanaa.
The AP news agency quoted officials close to the Houthi rebels, who said the blast targeted the homes of several Houthi leaders.
But Reuters quoted a medical official who said the blast "injured 28 people including 12 women in a building where victims of a previous attack were being mourned".
The Islamic State (IS) militant group has reportedly posted a statement online saying its affiliate group based in Sanaa was behind the attack. IS has carried out a number of attacks in the capital in recent weeks.
Separately on Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a full investigation after a Saudi-led coalition air strike hit a UN compound in the southern city of Aden on Sunday, injuring one guard.
Yemen has been in turmoil since Houthi rebels overran Sanaa last September, forcing the government of President Mansour Abdrabbuh Hadi to flee.
Three months ago, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia began targeting the rebels with air strikes. Since then, more than 2,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 1,400 civilians, according to the UN.
No comments:
Post a Comment