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At Least 28 Dead, 75 Hurt in IS Suicide Blasts at Yemen Shiite Mosque

The Islamic State group claimed twin bombings of a Shiite mosque that killed at least 28 people and wounded 75 in the Yemeni capital Wednesday.

The Sunni extremist group, which has claimed similar bombings in the past, said a man named Qusai al-Sanaani blew himself inside the mosque and that a bomb-laden vehicle parked nearby subsequently exploded.

The attack was to "avenge Muslims against the Rafidah (Shiites)," said the statement on Twitter.

IS has claimed similar bombings of Shiite mosques in Sanaa.

It considers Shiites to be heretics and has also bombed their mosques in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Witnesses earlier gave AFP a slightly different account, saying the suicide attack took place outside the mosque, after which a bomb-laden car driven by another suicide attacker exploded.

But a security official quoted sabanews.net, the website of the Shiite rebels controlling the capital, confirmed the IS account of the incident.

He also confirmed the death toll of 28 killed and 75 wounded provided by medics but said it was "not final."

Source: Agence France Presse


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