At least 33 dead as explosion targets Yemeni Houthis
Yemen's powerful local al-Qaeda affiliate has targeted the rebels in the past
A suicide bomber killed at least 33 people in central Yemen on Wednesday when he blew himself up at a celebration by Shiite militia supporters, medics said.
Dozens of people were also wounded in the attack in the mainly Sunni but Houthi militia-held city of Ibb, the medics said, warning that the death toll was likely to rise.
The Houthis, were preparing for celebrations of the prophet Muhammad's birthday this weekend, the Associated Press reported.
No group claimed responsibility for the apparent attack, but Yemen's powerful local al-Qaeda affiliate has targeted the rebels in the past.
The Houthis seized large areas of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, earlier this year as part of a protracted power struggle with President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Their critics view them as a proxy for Shiite Iran that wants to dominate the country, charges the rebels deny.
(With the Associated Press and AFP)
-
Yemen army officer shot dead in south
Captain Shaeq Mohammed Shaeq was shot with an assault rifle from a motorcycle carrying two men in Aden's Al-Qahera neighborhood Middle East -
Qaeda claims failed ambush on Yemen general, death of soldier
‘Members of Al-Qaeda’ set an ambush for the convoy of General Abdulrahman al-Hulaili, the head of the First Military Region Middle East -
Yemen general escapes deadly ‘Qaeda’ blast
But the blast in the Khor Maksar district of the port city killed Atiqi’s driver and wounded two other bodyguards Middle East -
Houthis abduct senior Yemen intelligence official
The kidnapping in which twenty Houthis had stormed Yahia al-Marrani's residence was confirmed by a relative of the officer Middle East -
Three soldiers killed in Yemen ‘Al-Qaeda’ bomb attack
An explosive device planted in the town of Seyun was detonated remotely as a vehicle carrying army personnel passed by Middle East -
Yemeni women fear Houthis are restricting freedoms
Houthi rebels ridiculed the selection of Arwa Othman as Yemen's new Culture Minister Features -
Yemen's parliament approves new Cabinet
Yemen has been gripped by a power struggle between President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Shiite rebels Middle East