Dozens killed, wounded in Yemen attack

At least 30 people were killed and more then 50 others injured in a suicide attack on Wednesday morning in Yemen's capital Sanaa, officials say. A suicide bomber driving a minibus full of people targeted a downtown police academy, while several people waited in front the building to enroll with the police, according to the police sources.

"What happened is we were all gathering and ... (the bomber) exploded right next to all of the police college classmates," eyewitness Jamil al-Khaleedi told the AP. "It went off among all of them, and they flew through the air."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for this attack, although al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past.

Bodies were seen lying in the street, as well as ambulances transporting the casualties away from the targeted area, witnesses said.

Power struggle in Yemen

Tensions in Yemen have been high ever since an uprising in 2011, which lead to a new government and splits in the army. However, the turmoil has intensified since Shiite Muslim Houthi militia took control of Sanaa. Their critics believe this faction to be a close collaborator with Shiite Iran, although rebels deny this claim.

Representatives of the group also threatened on Saturday to take control of the country's oil-rich Marib province.

President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has struggled to assert his authority since the militants seized the capital. A new Yemeni government, made up of technocrats, was established in November as part of a UN peace deal.

The latest attack comes on the heels of another suicide bombing on December 31 in which at least 26 people were killed in the central city of Ibb.

dj/gb(Reuters, AFP, AP)