14-Year-Old Suicide Bomber Kills Four in Yemen

By The Media Line Staff

At least four people were killed and six wounded on Saturday in 'S'ada as a 14-year-old boy detonated an anti-personnel mine that he was carrying outside a government complex, local media reported.

This is the first time a child has been used and it remains unclear whether or not he knew he was going to die, sources at the Yemen Times told The Media Line.

The attack came after government forces and local rebels loyal to the Houthi tribe were involved in heavy fighting over the weekend.

Sources at the Yemen Times also reported that, for the third day running, the state air force has been targeting areas of combat in 'S'ada. The planes are hovering continually and hitting places where even the government military is present.

The soldiers were killed because of either engaging with the Houthis in combat or their proximity to the Houthi camps. Dozens of military soldiers are reported dead because of the air force attacks.

The Houthi rebels, of whom the boy is believed to be a supporter, belong to the Zaidi minority, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. Since 2004 the Houthi rebels have used their base in northern eastern part of the country to restore the Zaidi imamate to Yemen after it was overthrown in a coup in 1962. They also feel the Yemenite government is too closely allied with the United States.

In a interview with the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, the leader of the Houthi rebels 'Abd Al-Malik Al-Houthi, was quoted as saying that the real war had not begun yet and he threatened to expand the armed revolt and attack the country's capital 'Sana with rockets.

He also denied reports that his fighters were receiving training and aid from Iran.

Along with the growing tension between the U.S. and Iran there is also growing tension between Sunni-dominated Iran and its Shi'ite neighbors in the Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and The United Arab Emirate. There is growing fear that Iran is trying to destabilize other countries in the region by supporting local Sunnis.

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com

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