Explosions, gunfire heard near US embassy in Yemen

Sana'a: At least 16 people have been killed in a car bombing outside the US embassy in Yemen on Wednesday.

The bomb went off outside the embassy's main security gate as people arrived at work.

The two explosions were followed by heavy gunfire, with smoke was seen rising from the heavily-fortified compound, officials and witnesses said.

Six Yemeni soldiers were among the dead in the bombing, the security source said.

The rest include four attackers, and bystanders including three Yemenis and one Indian woman.

The source said three Yemeni soldiers were also wounded and it was possible there were more casualties.

A group calling itself Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on the US embassy in Sana'a and threatened attacks in other parts of the Gulf Arab region, Al Arabiya Television said.

The group demanded that the Yemeni president release some of its members from jail, the television station reported.

Earlier, embassy spokesman, Ryan Gliha, said the American Embassy was hit by a car bomb and that there were unspecified casualties.

He added that there was a second explosion that followed the initial one Wednesday morning.

Ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene and police cordoned off the area.

Attacks by Al Qaida are common in Yemen, and include one on the US embassy, another near the Italian mission and others on Western tourists.

An Al Qaida affiliated group claimed responsibility in March for a mortar attack that missed the US embassy in Sana'a but wounded 13 girls at a nearby school.

The United States ordered non-essential staff to leave Yemen in April, a day after an attack on a residential compound.

The Yemeni government joined the US-led war against terrorism following the September 11, 2001 attacks on US cities.

Previous attacks on US interests in Yemen include:

October 12, 2000: Suicide bombers ram explosives-laden rubber raft into U.S. destroyer Cole in port of Aden, killing 17 U.S. sailors.

December 5, 2005: Yemeni security forces shoot and arrest a gunman after he opens fire at the U.S. embassy in Sanaa.

September 15, 2006: Yemen foils two suicide attacks on its oil and gas facilities. Four bombers are killed when security forces blew up their cars at dawn.

March 18, 2008: Thirteen girls and five soldiers are injured in a mortar attack on a school near the U.S. embassy and Washington says its mission was the target.

April 6, 2008: An apparent mortar attack smashes windows at a complex housing Americans and other Westerners in Sanaa. There were no casualties.

Source: Reuters.