Suicide bomb soldier kills 96 in Yemen military parade carnage

Military officials said the bombing, which took place near the presidential palace in the country’s capital Sanaa, is one of the deadliest attacks in the city in years.

They said the attacker was a soldier taking part in the drill, lining up with fellow troops at a main square in the capital.

At least 100 others were injured in the attack, they added.

The bomber detonated his explosives minutes before the arrival of the defence minister and the chief of staff, who were expected to greet the troops, the officials said.

The drill was a rehearsal for a parade for the celebration of Yemen’s National Day today.

The attack left a scene of carnage, with scores of bleeding soldiers lying on the ground as ambulances rushed to the scene.

In Sanaa, no-one immediately claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, but the soldiers targeted were mostly troops from Yemen’s Central Security, a paramilitary force commanded by Yahya Saleh, a nephew of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Mr Saleh stepped down in February as part of a US-backed power-transfer deal brokered by Gulf Arab countries.

It gave him immunity from prosecution in return for relinquishing his power.

Since then, the new president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, has pledged to restructure the army and purge it of Mr Saleh’s family members and loyalists suspected of hindering reforms.

Mr Hadi has also vowed to step up the fight against al-Qaida, which expanded its foothold after exploiting the political and security turmoil in the wake of the uprising against Mr Saleh.

Since the revolt erupted, inspired by other Arab Spring uprisings, al-Qaida militants have taken over large areas of territory and several towns and cities in the south, pushing out government forces and establishing their own rule.

In recent weeks, the army has launched a concerted effort to uproot the militants from their strongholds with the help of a small contingent of US military advisors. Over the weekend it was reported that fresh clashes with al-Qaida fighters in Yemen’s south have left at least 34 people dead, while a suspected US drone strike has killed two militants.

Fighters linked to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula briefly overran parts of Bayda earlier this year.

The officials said that further south in Abyan province, fighting between Yemeni troops and al-Qaida fighters that broke out late Friday and continued into yesterday claimed the lives of 12 soldiers and 22 al-Qaida militants.

The officials said the clashes took place some six miles outside Jaar, a key town that has been under the control of militants since last year.

Meanwhile, confusion surrounds reports of an attack on US coast guard members in the country.

Yemeni security officials claimed on Sunday that three US Coast Guard trainers came under attack by militants belonging to an al-Qaida front group in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida.

The three Americans were said to have been travelling in a car near their hotel on Sunday when the militants pulled up in another vehicle and sprayed them with machine gun fire.

One was injured, the officials said.

However last night the US Coast Guard disputed reports that any of its members were attacked while on a training mission in Yemen.

Guard spokesman Lt Paul Rhynard said in Washington that while the US has a training mission in Yemen, there are no US Guard personnel in the country at this time and none were involved in an attack.