Air strikes on Yemen town kill seven civilians
AFP | Sep 5, 2011, 10.05PM IST
ADEN: Yemeni air force jets hit an al-Qaida stronghold town in the south of the country on Monday, killing seven civilians when they mistakenly struck a mosque, a local official said.
"The Yemeni air force accidentally shelled a mosque in Jaar, killing seven people and wounding five others," the official said, on condition of anonymity.
"The air force hit the Grand Mosque in Jaar whereas the target was a small mosque held by suspected al-Qaida militants," situated on the edge of the town, said the official.
A medical official in al-Razi hospital in Jaar confirmed the toll and witnesses said that another raid targeted the hospital, wounding two more people.
Later on Monday, the army targeted the hospital again, killing two al-Qaida suspects and wounding another two, the head of Jaar's local administration Naser al-Mansari said.
The shells hit the hospital's entrance and its northern wing where the power generator is located, witnesses said.
A doctor from al-Razi hospital contacted by AFP said: "The medical staff fled from the hospital after the first strike. We don't know what happened now."
Air strikes also targeted the town's court and a police station while al-Faruq school was completely destroyed, witnesses said.
Local official Mohsen Salem Saeed said the death toll had risen and confirmed the hospital bombing adding that the air force attacked Mount Jaar, where the armed extremists have taken refuge.
"The raids were randomly launched, leaving casualties among civilians and al-Qaida militants alike. It is a humanitarian catastrophe," he said.
Jaar, home to around 30,000 people, lies 12 kilometres (seven miles) north of Abyan province's capital Zinjibar, most of which was seized in May by Partisans of Sharia (Islamic Law), an organisation linked to the al-Qaida network.
In another Abyan town, Loder, tribesmen arrested a suicide bomber on Monday as he was planning to blow himself up in a local market, a tribal source said.
The bomber, who was wearing an explosive belt, admitted that he was planning to attack the market in Loder, said the source, adding that the man was linked to al-Qaida.
The tribesmen took him to an army camp where the explosives were neutralised, when he alleged that two other bombers were still at large in the town centre, according to the same source.
On Thursday, a bomb-laden car was found and neutralised in the Loder market, tribal sources had said.
Yemen has been gripped by political turmoil since the uprising against Saleh's 33-year-old rule. Hundreds have died in battles between security forces and protesters, and between security forces and al-Qaida fighters.
"The Yemeni air force accidentally shelled a mosque in Jaar, killing seven people and wounding five others," the official said, on condition of anonymity.
"The air force hit the Grand Mosque in Jaar whereas the target was a small mosque held by suspected al-Qaida militants," situated on the edge of the town, said the official.
A medical official in al-Razi hospital in Jaar confirmed the toll and witnesses said that another raid targeted the hospital, wounding two more people.
Later on Monday, the army targeted the hospital again, killing two al-Qaida suspects and wounding another two, the head of Jaar's local administration Naser al-Mansari said.
The shells hit the hospital's entrance and its northern wing where the power generator is located, witnesses said.
A doctor from al-Razi hospital contacted by AFP said: "The medical staff fled from the hospital after the first strike. We don't know what happened now."
Air strikes also targeted the town's court and a police station while al-Faruq school was completely destroyed, witnesses said.
Local official Mohsen Salem Saeed said the death toll had risen and confirmed the hospital bombing adding that the air force attacked Mount Jaar, where the armed extremists have taken refuge.
"The raids were randomly launched, leaving casualties among civilians and al-Qaida militants alike. It is a humanitarian catastrophe," he said.
Jaar, home to around 30,000 people, lies 12 kilometres (seven miles) north of Abyan province's capital Zinjibar, most of which was seized in May by Partisans of Sharia (Islamic Law), an organisation linked to the al-Qaida network.
In another Abyan town, Loder, tribesmen arrested a suicide bomber on Monday as he was planning to blow himself up in a local market, a tribal source said.
The bomber, who was wearing an explosive belt, admitted that he was planning to attack the market in Loder, said the source, adding that the man was linked to al-Qaida.
The tribesmen took him to an army camp where the explosives were neutralised, when he alleged that two other bombers were still at large in the town centre, according to the same source.
On Thursday, a bomb-laden car was found and neutralised in the Loder market, tribal sources had said.
Yemen has been gripped by political turmoil since the uprising against Saleh's 33-year-old rule. Hundreds have died in battles between security forces and protesters, and between security forces and al-Qaida fighters.
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