Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a suicide
bombing in the centre of the Yemeni capital
that has left nearly 100 people dead.
Officials have said a bomber dressed in military
uniform targeted soldiers rehearsing for a
parade in Sanaa to 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 toll was still
climbing by late Monday afternoon.
"We are hearing reports that 96 people were
killed and many more injured," our
correspondent said. "There have been requests
for blood donations and the death toll could go
even higher."
The huge explosion left scenes of carnage, 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 President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is
scheduled to attend Tuesday's parade marking
the 22nd anniversary of the unification of north
and south Yemen.
Claiming responsibility
A man claiming to speak for militant group
Ansar al-Sharia said in a telephone call to the
Reuters news agency that it was behind the
attack.
An Ansar al-Sharia spokesman subsequently
confirmed the claim, saying it was in response
to the "crimes" of the security forces who are
fighting to dislodge militants from their
strongholds in the south of the country.
But one of the 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.
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 against al-
Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters who
have taken 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."
