At least 98 soldiers were killed Monday in Sanaa following a suicide bombing attack that targeted a unit of the armed practicing for a parade, according to military sources. An official said the toll could still go up as an eyewitness claimed seeing "pieces of flesh scattered on [the ground]."
A suicide bomber, wearing military uniform, exploded among the soldiers who were preparing the for a parade to mark the 22nd anniversary of the unification of northern and southern Yemen . This is the first attack of this magnitude in Sana'a since the accession to power in February of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has ordered since his election to fight tirelessly Al-Qaeda .
The attack comes as the army has been engaged since May 12 in a major offensive against al-Qaeda, to regain the southern cities of the country controlled by the Islamist gunmen. The offensive has so far killed 213 according to a report compiled by AFP, including 147 fighters of Al Qaeda.
