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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