Al-Qaeda Bomber Attacks Rebel-Held Yemen Hospital, Killing 15

September 29th, 2014

David Schulberg

As the Shi’ite Houthi movement continues to expand its control over the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa, they are quickly attracting the attention of southern Islamist factions, including al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Today, a suicide bomber from AQAP drove a car bomb into a Houthi-controlled hospital in the Maarib Province, killing at least 15 people and wounding 50 others according to the locals.

The Yemeni government has sought to keep the Houthis confined to their far north provinces by encouraging Islamist factions to move into the area near them. After weeks of fighting, the Houthis routed them and moved on the capital.

As their control grows, they’re now facing some protest. A small protest was organized today in Sanaa, though organizers claimed the turnout was kept low because of the Houthi presence across the city keeping many leaders from showing up.

The Houthis claimed a deal to form a new consensus government, and government officials said they thought that would include the Houthis leaving Sanaa. So far, that doesn’t seem to be panning out, and the tensions in the capital continue to rise.