Soldiers killed in embassy attack buried among martyrs

Sana'a: Three of the eight soldiers who were killed while resisting a terrorist attack against the US embassy on September 17 were on Thursday laid to rest at the cemetery of martyrs in Sana'a.

The mortal remains of the other five soldiers were taken to their respective villages for the last rites.

Among officials attending the funeral ceremonies at the martyrs' graveyard was the deputy prime minister for security and defence affairs.

The attack, in which no Americans were harmed, came weeks after groups allied to the Al Qaida vowed to avenge Hamza Al Quaiti, a self-proclaimed Al Qaida leader killed during a clash with security forces in Tareem, Hudhrmout, to the country's east on August 11.

While government officials sought to describe the attack as retaliation for its "successful and continuous crackdown" on the Al Qaida militants, analysts are not convinced.

Abdul Elah Haidar for one sought to differ: "Al Qaida is no longer confined to remote and isolated areas as in the past, it is everywhere now, including the capital Sana'a."

"The attackers of the embassy came from Sana'a, and they were not known to the security agencies; they were new faces."