Ashura commemorated in Yemeni capital
- 11 years ago
(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION)
People marched to commemorate the anniversary of the death of a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad in the Yemeni capital for the first time in half a century on Saturday (November 24). The crowd chanted 'Death to Israel' and 'Victory to Islam' as they marched through the city.
At least three Shi'ite Muslims were killed on the same day in a bomb attack targeting the anniversary gathering. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but al Qaeda and its affiliates, comprising Sunni Muslim militants, have targeted Shi'ites in the past.
Medics and local officials said 13 other people were also wounded in the attack at a hall where Shi'ites were leaving a ceremony after the Ashura rituals which recall the death of Imam Hussein in Iraq in the year 680 AD.
A statement issued by the Houthis, a Shi'ite armed group based in northern Yemen, said the attackers also sprayed the crowd with gunfire and fled.
"We condemn this attack and consider the safety of Yemeni citizens the responsibility of the so-called national unity government," the statement said.
People marched to commemorate the anniversary of the death of a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad in the Yemeni capital for the first time in half a century on Saturday (November 24). The crowd chanted 'Death to Israel' and 'Victory to Islam' as they marched through the city.
At least three Shi'ite Muslims were killed on the same day in a bomb attack targeting the anniversary gathering. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but al Qaeda and its affiliates, comprising Sunni Muslim militants, have targeted Shi'ites in the past.
Medics and local officials said 13 other people were also wounded in the attack at a hall where Shi'ites were leaving a ceremony after the Ashura rituals which recall the death of Imam Hussein in Iraq in the year 680 AD.
A statement issued by the Houthis, a Shi'ite armed group based in northern Yemen, said the attackers also sprayed the crowd with gunfire and fled.
"We condemn this attack and consider the safety of Yemeni citizens the responsibility of the so-called national unity government," the statement said.