25 dead in attack on mosque

Sanaa (AFP) – A bomb attack targeting Shiite worshipers at a mosque in Yemen’s rebel-held capital on Thursday killed at least 25 people and wounded dozens more during prayers for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, medics said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Sanaa, which is controlled by the Huthi Shiite insurgents, has been shaken by a string of bombings by the Islamic State jihadist group in recent months targeting Shiites.

The radical Sunni Muslim group considers Shiites to be heretics and has also claimed bombings of mosques in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The Iran-backed Huthi rebels have seized several regions of Yemen including Sanaa which they overran a year ago.

Pro-government forces backed by Saudi-led air strikes have recently managed to wrest back some southern provinces, including Yemen’s second city of Aden.

The Islamic State group and the Yemen-based branch of its jihadist rival Al-Qaeda have exploited the turmoil to boost their activities in the impoverished country.