UN chief condemns massive suicide attack in Yemen



UNITED NATIONS- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned Monday's suicide bombing in Yemen that killed almost 100 soldiers, saying those behind the attack must be brought to justice.
"The secretary general calls on all in Yemen to reject the use of violence in all its forms and manifestations, and expects them (to) play a full and constructive role in implementing Yemen's political transition agreement," Ban said in a written statement.



UN chief condemns massive suicide attack in Yemen
The Security Council released a statement vowing to combat "all forms of terrorism" and condmening the attack "in the strongest terms." The bombing, council members said, reaffirmed "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security."
A Yemeni soldier packing powerful explosives under his uniform blew himself up in the middle of an army battalion in Sanaa Monday, killing 96 troops and wounding around 300, a military official and medics said.
"This criminal act cannot be justified by any cause," Ban said. "Its perpetrators must be held accountable."
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula later claimed responsibility for the massive blast, which, according to witnesses, echoed loudly across the city, causing panic among residents.
The attack was the deadliest in the country's capital since newly elected President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi pledged to oust Al-Qaeda militants from Yemen's mostly lawless and restive southern and eastern provinces.
Hadi assumed power in February after being elected in a single-candidate vote as stipulated by the Gulf-sponsored transition deal that forced out longtime leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.
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Tuesday, May 22nd 2012
AFP
           


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