Suicide bomber kills 100 in Sana'a

By Fatik al-Rodaini

SANA'A, May 21, 2012- According to security and military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity at least 100 soldiers were killed and 300 others wounded, most of them in critical condition in a suicide bombing in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a.

A soldier, who believed to be suspected al-Qaeda militants, blew himself up on Monday at a military parade, killing and wounding scores of his partners who were practicing with him to participate together for a parade for the celebration of Yemen's National Day on Tuesday.

The bomber was himself participating in the drill when he set off his explosives.

Scores of others were wounded and some news reports spoke of a much higher death toll.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for Monday's 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.

Most local news websites said that attacker is believed to be al-Qaeda militants especially after al-Qaeda have been threatened for more than a month to carry out attacks in the capital Sana'a and in the other Yemeni provinces to take revenge of al-Qaeda militants who had been killed lately in the battles between Yemeni army and al-Qaeda militants in Abyan province.