US embassy in Yemen comes under rocket attack
A view of the US embassy in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a (file photo)
Yemeni
security officials say the US embassy in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, has
come under rocket attack, with no early information on possible
casualties.
A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an
unidentified attacker fired an M72 light anti-tank rocket at the Yemeni
special police guarding the diplomatic mission on Saturday.The source added that the rocket was fired from a car and landed 200 meters from the heavily fortified embassy.
The al-Qaeda group in Yemen has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The development comes a day after the US State Department told American citizens to leave Yemen because of what it described as political unrest and fears of a possible military escalation there.
The State Department has also said that it will reduce the number of US government staffers in Yemen.
Also on Saturday, a top member of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement called on President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to dismiss the head of the country’s National Security Agency, Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi.
Ali al-Bekheti held Ahmadi responsible for killing peaceful protesters, adding that he has direct links to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Bekheti stressed that Yemen’s popular revolution would not be accomplished as long as Ahmadi keeps his post.
Representatives of the Ansarullah movement and the government signed a deal on September 21 to establish a government of technocrats within a month.
Yemeni protesters have hailed the agreement as a great achievement. They say the deal would hopefully, in the long run, put an end to their grievances.
MP/HJL/SS
