Dubai: A bomb exploded on Friday during midday prayers at a mosque frequented by Al Houthi supporters in Yemen’s northwestern Mahwit region, killing several worshippers and wounding others, residents said.
The blast took place in Shibam, a city about 40km outside the capital Sana’a which has been an area of relative calm in the conflict-stricken country.
At least 5,600 Yemenis have been killed in seven months of war, in which Iran-allied Al Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh have been battling armed supporters of an exiled government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.
That fighting continued on Friday in the southern Al Dhaleh region, as Al Houthis and Saleh fighters shelled a military base with Katyusha rockets while pressing towards the provincial capital.
Supporters of exiled President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi responded by ambushing the militants in their cars, killing 14 people, said medical sources.
