Twin Car Bombs Leave Casualties İn Yemen's Hudaydah

A number of people were killed and several others wounded on Thursday when two booby-trapped cars exploded in Yemen's western city of Al-Hudaydah, eyewitnesses have said.



The twin car bombings targeted concentrations of Shiite Houthi militiamen in the city, eyewitnesses told The Anadolu Agency.



An Al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for the bombings, which, it said, had left dozens dead or injured.



According to witnesses, the attacks occurred near the home of Yemeni army general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, which had been occupied by the Houthis since they entered Al-Hudaydah.



None of the eyewitnesses, however, could provide an exact death toll.  



A pro-Houthi newspaper, meanwhile, alleged on its Facebook page that a number of Islamists and two suicide bombers had been on board the booby-trapped vehicles.



The newspaper added that Houthi vigilantes had managed to kill three other suicide bombers before they blew themselves up in the same area.



The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar al-Sharia group, speaking on Twitter, claimed responsibility for the attack, which, it said, had left dozens of Houthis dead and or wounded.



Yet it did not give an exact number of casualties.



The Houthis have remained in control of capital Sanaa since late September. Ever since, the group has moved to extend its control to other parts of the country, including Al-Hudaydah on the Red Sea coast.



The Shiite Houthis' recent political ascendancy has brought it into conflict with Al-Qaeda – still said to be active in fractious Yemen – and local Sunni tribes.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Sana