Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | September 18, 2008
ISLAMIST militants armed with automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and up to two suicide car bombs attacked the US embassy in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, yesterday, leaving 16 people dead.
It was the second strike on the high-security compound in six months, with six Yemeni soldiers, four civilians, including an Indian, and six of the terrorists among the dead, the Yemeni Interior Ministry said.
A group calling itself Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement and threatened similar strikes against the British, Saudi and United Arab Emirates missions in the Yemeni capital.
Witnesses said gunmen arrived in police jeeps within seconds of the blast, spraying guards with automatic fire and attempting to storm the perimeter.
A senior US official last night said up to five explosions were used in the assault, and that Yemeni authorities who first responded were also ambushed by snipers.
It appeared some of the attackers were dressed as Yemeni troops and that the first Yemeni emergency personnel to arrive on the scene were hit by heavy sniper fire from gunmen across the street from the embassy.
However, the explosions did not breach the heavily fortified walls surrounding the embassy compound, nor were any Americans among those killed or injured.
The White House last night denounced the strike and offered condolences to the relatives of Yemenis killed.
"The United States condemns this attack," said spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
"This attack is a reminder of the continuing threat we face from violent extremists both at home and abroad."
The US embassy in Sanaa also condemned what it described as a "heinous" attack on the compound and vowed to work with the Yemeni authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
It said its chancery and consular sections would remain closed until further notice.
"The US embassy condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms," a statement said.
"Today's events demonstrate that terrorist criminals will not hesitate to kill innocent citizens and those charged with protecting them in pursuit of their agenda of terror.
"A number of explosions occurred in the vicinity of the embassy's main gate and there were several secondary explosions.
"A number of Yemeni security personnel were killed and injured, as were several Yemeni citizens waiting to gain entry to the embassy."
Police and soldiers swarmed on the scene soon after the blasts, engaging the insurgents in gunfights that resounded throughout nearby neighbourhoods for up to 15 minutes.
It is understood no one was killed or injured inside the embassy.
It was the second attack on the embassy this year.
The embassy had been under virtual lockdown since April, after a rocket strike on a residential compound for Western workers in Sanaa.
In the aftermath of that attack, the US ordered all non-essential staff to leave the country and banned them from returning.
One month earlier, three mortars had landed near the embassy grounds, wounding a number of local students.
A witness to the latest attack, British citizen Trev Mason, described a massive fireball.
"We heard the sounds of a heavy gun battle going on," Mr Mason said.
"I looked out my window and we saw the first explosion going off - a massive fireball very close to the US embassy.
"The gun battle went on for a further 10 to 15 minutes, followed by two further loud explosions."
Insurgent activity has been on the rise in Yemen, the ancestral home of al-Qa'ida leader Osama bin Laden, and a hotspot of militant Islam in the Middle East.
The impoverished nation on the southeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula was the scene of several high-profile attacks linked to al-Qa'ida over the past eight years, including the strike on the US warship, the USS Cole, one year before the September 11 terror attacks in the US.
Oil facilities along the Yemeni coast and convoys of workers were also targeted.
At least three other plots against oil and gas sites have been foiled.
ISLAMIST militants armed with automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and up to two suicide car bombs attacked the US embassy in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, yesterday, leaving 16 people dead.
It was the second strike on the high-security compound in six months, with six Yemeni soldiers, four civilians, including an Indian, and six of the terrorists among the dead, the Yemeni Interior Ministry said.
A group calling itself Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement and threatened similar strikes against the British, Saudi and United Arab Emirates missions in the Yemeni capital.
Witnesses said gunmen arrived in police jeeps within seconds of the blast, spraying guards with automatic fire and attempting to storm the perimeter.
A senior US official last night said up to five explosions were used in the assault, and that Yemeni authorities who first responded were also ambushed by snipers.
It appeared some of the attackers were dressed as Yemeni troops and that the first Yemeni emergency personnel to arrive on the scene were hit by heavy sniper fire from gunmen across the street from the embassy.
However, the explosions did not breach the heavily fortified walls surrounding the embassy compound, nor were any Americans among those killed or injured.
The White House last night denounced the strike and offered condolences to the relatives of Yemenis killed.
"The United States condemns this attack," said spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
"This attack is a reminder of the continuing threat we face from violent extremists both at home and abroad."
The US embassy in Sanaa also condemned what it described as a "heinous" attack on the compound and vowed to work with the Yemeni authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
It said its chancery and consular sections would remain closed until further notice.
"The US embassy condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms," a statement said.
"Today's events demonstrate that terrorist criminals will not hesitate to kill innocent citizens and those charged with protecting them in pursuit of their agenda of terror.
"A number of explosions occurred in the vicinity of the embassy's main gate and there were several secondary explosions.
"A number of Yemeni security personnel were killed and injured, as were several Yemeni citizens waiting to gain entry to the embassy."
Police and soldiers swarmed on the scene soon after the blasts, engaging the insurgents in gunfights that resounded throughout nearby neighbourhoods for up to 15 minutes.
It is understood no one was killed or injured inside the embassy.
It was the second attack on the embassy this year.
The embassy had been under virtual lockdown since April, after a rocket strike on a residential compound for Western workers in Sanaa.
In the aftermath of that attack, the US ordered all non-essential staff to leave the country and banned them from returning.
One month earlier, three mortars had landed near the embassy grounds, wounding a number of local students.
A witness to the latest attack, British citizen Trev Mason, described a massive fireball.
"We heard the sounds of a heavy gun battle going on," Mr Mason said.
"I looked out my window and we saw the first explosion going off - a massive fireball very close to the US embassy.
"The gun battle went on for a further 10 to 15 minutes, followed by two further loud explosions."
Insurgent activity has been on the rise in Yemen, the ancestral home of al-Qa'ida leader Osama bin Laden, and a hotspot of militant Islam in the Middle East.
The impoverished nation on the southeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula was the scene of several high-profile attacks linked to al-Qa'ida over the past eight years, including the strike on the US warship, the USS Cole, one year before the September 11 terror attacks in the US.
Oil facilities along the Yemeni coast and convoys of workers were also targeted.
At least three other plots against oil and gas sites have been foiled.
Source: The Australian
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