Page 9 - Aruba Today
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WORLD NEWS 9
Friday 25 September 2015
IS suicide bomber kills 25 at mosque in Yemeni capital
AHMED AL-HAJ spoke to the AP on condi- Shiite fighters, known as Houthis, inspect the the scene at the al-Balili mosque after two suicide
Associated Press tion of anonymity because bombings at the mosque during Eid al-Adha prayers in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015.
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A they were not authorized
suicide bomber struck a to talk to the media. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
mosque in Yemen’s rebel- There were puddles of
held capital on Thursday, blood and debris outside gerous al-Qaida offshoot. At least 21 civilians were a campaign involving air
killing 25 worshippers dur- the mosque, whose ornate Also Thursday, four children wounded, they said, also strikes and ground troops
ing prayers for the Muslim facade was damaged by
holiday of Eid al-Adha. the blast. Police and some and an adult were killed speaking on condition of against Shiite Houthi rebels
The Yemen-based Islamic Houthi fighters came to in-
State affiliate claimed re- spect the aftermath. Eid when Houthis and their al- anonymity because they and their allies. More than
sponsibility for the blast, al-Adha is a major Muslim lies fired mortar shells into a were not authorized to talk 2,100 civilians have been
saying it was targeting the holiday, also known as the residential neighborhood to reporters. killed, according to U.N.
country’s Shiite rebels. Feast of Sacrifice. in the city of Taiz, inde- The war in Yemen escalat- estimates. The coalition re-
The explosion, which also Yemen has been torn by
wounded dozens of wor- a ferocious war pitting the pendent security officials ed in March when the Sau- cently has sought to retake
shippers, tore through the Houthis and forces fight- and health officials said. di-led coalition launched rebel-held Sanaa.q
al-Bolayli mosque in the ing for former President
morning hours, according Ali Abdullah Saleh against
to Yemeni security officials. fighters loyal to President
The mosque is located in an Abed Rabbo Mansour
area where many residents Hadi, as well as southern
support the Shiite rebels, separatists, local militias
also known as Houthis, who and Sunni extremists.
have controlled Sanaa The Islamic State affiliate
since last September. in Yemen has claimed re-
The IS affiliate’s claim of sponsibility for a series of
responsibility came in a suicide bombings in Sanaa
statement circulated on targeting Shiites in the past
Twitter by the Sunni militant months. American officials
group’s supporters. The As- initially expressed skepti-
sociated Press could not in- cism that the affiliate exist-
dependently verify the au- ed, as Yemen is also home
thenticity of the claim. The to the world’s most dan-
statement said IS targeted
the Shiite rebels, whom the Dutch want UN to report on war-torn Yemen
Sunni extremists view as
heretics. JAMEY KEATEN involved blistering Saudi air Houthis in neighboring Ye- pass a resolution that may
The security officials said Associated Press power and over 2,100 civil- men. The Saudi-Yemeni — or may not — authorize
the suicide bomber placed GENEVA (AP) — Dutch dip- ian deaths. resolution wants the office creation of a fact-finding
an explosive device in his lomats want the U.N. hu- The Netherlands submitted of the High Commissioner mission in Yemen before
shoe, causing an initial man rights chief to send a a resolution Thursday at the for Human Rights, Zeid the three-week council
explosion. As worshippers mission to report on pos- U.N. Human Rights Council Raad al-Hussein, to provide session ends on Oct. 2. The
rushed to the door, he det- sible abuses and conflict- in the face of another co- “technical assistance” to Human Rights Council has
onated himself in the mid- related crimes in Yemen, sponsored by Saudi Ara- Yemen’s government. no power to compel coun-
dle of the crowd, they said. all but challenging Western bia, which has led a U.S.- The Dutch resolution sets tries to act, but its actions
The officials, who remain and other nations to take a backed coalition battling the stage for back-channel can shine a spotlight on
neutral in the conflict that stand over a war that has the Shiite rebels known as diplomatic wrangling to human rights violations.q
has splintered the country,
