Blast kills 40 in Yemen ammo factory

Mon Mar 28, 2011

At least forty Yemenis have been killed and 55 others injured in an explosion that rocked an ammunition factory in the southern part of the Middle Eastern country.

The blast took place near the southern town of Jaar only one day after al-Qaeda militants looted the factory, AFP reported Monday.

"At least three bodies were taken out from the factory, while 55 others were wounded" a security official said.

Witnesses said around 30 armed and hooded suspected al-Qaeda fighters on Sunday raided the factory and left the scene immediately in four vehicles with cases of weapons.

On January 14, 2010, Yemen declared an open war against al-Qaeda, following the anti-terror military operations that started in 2001 in cooperation with the United States government.

The Middle Eastern nation has, since mid-February, been host to nationwide protests against the government of longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

More than 80 people have been killed in the government crackdown since protests against Saleh's three-decade rule.

Source: Press T.V.