Yemen violence worsens as suicide bomber kills 90

A suicide bomber with explosives strapped under his uniform killed more than 90 people at a military parade rehearsal in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday, an attack which will alarm Washington as its involvement in the front-line state deepens.   

The bombing also wounded about 200 people, officials said, making it the bloodiest single incident in the city in recent years.   

Yemen's defense minister and chief of staff were both present at the rehearsal for Tuesday's National Day parade but neither was hurt. A police source said he could not rule out the bombing was an attempt to assassinate them.   

Weakened by an uprising that eventually toppled former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's government has lost control over whole swathes of the country, allowing militants to overrun several towns in the southern province of Abyan.   

The attack, along with an ambush on Sunday on a U.S. military training team, indicated their campaign could be entering a dangerous new stage.   

The United States sees Yemen as a vital front in its global war on Islamic militants and is increasing its military support for the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.   

The U.S. military has itself targeted militants in Yemen using drones, which have frequently killed civilians and are deeply resented by Yemenis, even the many who abhor al Qaeda.   

A U.S. military instructor was seriously wounded in Sunday's ambush, claimed by militant group Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), which is affiliated to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).   

The same group also claimed responsibility for the military parade suicide attack, saying it was in response to the "crimes" of the security forces, who are fighting to dislodge militants from their strongholds in Abyan.  
 
The explosion in Sanaa's Sabaeen Square left scenes of carnage, with bloodied victims and body parts strewn across the 10-lane road where the rehearsal was held on Monday morning, not far from the presidential palace.   

The defense ministry said at least 90 soldiers were killed and 222 wounded.   

"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."   

One investigator said preliminary findings suggested the suicide bomber was a rogue soldier rather than a man in a disguise.  

Reuters