Ninety-six soldiers were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a military parade rehearsal in Yemen's capital. Al Qaida's Yemen branch claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said in an emailed statement that it targeted defence minister Major General Mohammed Nasser Ahmed, who arrived at the heavily secured city square to greet the assembled troops just minutes before the blast ripped through the area but escaped unhurt. Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula vowed: "This is only the beginning of Jihad." It said that its militants will continue staging attacks against the Yemeni leadership. The bombing was meant to take revenge for the Yemeni government's military offensive in a part of southern Yemen seized by the militant movement last year. A statement in the name of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi said: "The war on terrorism will continue until we win, whatever the sacrifices are." Military officials said the suicide bomber in Sanaa was a soldier taking part in the drill, lining up with fellow troops at a main square in the capital, not far from the presidential palace. He belonged to the central security, a paramilitary force commanded by ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh's nephew Yahia. President Hadi has been trying to wrest control of the security forces away from Saleh, who is still seen to exercise much influence from behind the scenes. The bombing left a scene of carnage, with scores of bleeding soldiers lying on the ground as ambulances rushed to the scene. Ahmed Sobhi, one of the soldiers who witnessed the explosion, said: "This is a real massacre... The place turned into hell. I thought this only happens in movies." The bomber detonated his explosives minutes before the arrival of the defence minister and the chief of staff, who were expected to greet the troops. The drill was a rehearsal for a parade for the celebration of Yemen's National Day.
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