Channels

Previous embassy attack
Photo: AFP

Yemen: Rocket attack targets British embassy car

Mortar bomb explodes near convoy carrying British diplomats leaving three bystanders injured. Meanwhile, French citizen dies in shooting incident at oil compound in Sana'a

A rocket attack on Wednesday damaged a British diplomatic car in the capital Sana'a, wounding three bystanders but leaving embassy staff mostly unhurt, a Yemeni security official said.

 

The attack comes a day after a top US official was visiting the country to discuss the security situation and less than six months after a suicide bomber attacked the British ambassador's car in San'a.

 

A British Foreign Office official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, confirmed that there was an attack on a British Embassy vehicle in San'a, but said there were no casualties among British Embassy staff.

 

Embassy official Daisy Organ later told the Associated Press that one staffer had sustained a minor injury.

 

The embassy's armored car was struck by shrapnel from the attack, the Yemeni security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

 

Also Wednesday, a Frenchman caught in a shooting incident at Austrian oil and gas group OMV's compound near Sana'a died, according to a security source.

 

The blast comes two days after Yemeni authorities boosted security in the capital around embassies on information of an attack planned by Al-Qaeda and ahead of a visit by the third-ranking US diplomat William Burns to consult on regional security.

 

The attacks continue to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the Yemeni government's US-backed campaign against al-Qaeda militants, who have found a haven in parts of the rugged, mountainous nation where the central government's control is weak.

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.06.10, 10:39
 new comment
Warning:
This will delete your current comment