Posted on 06/17/2002 3:36:02 PM PDT by knighthawk
SAN`A: A bomb went off in the southern port of Aden on Saturday, hours after an explosion in the capital San'a, witnesses said. No casualties were reported.
Witnesses in Aden, who refused to be futher identified, said the bomb went off behind the house of Aden intelligence chief Hussein al-Anisi. It shattered windows at nearby houses but caused no other damage. They said the bomb was tied to a gas cylinder, which failed to explode.
Late on Friday, a bomb exploded in San'a in a street close to the offices of the government-owned gas company.
Officials refused to comment on the explosions.
Yemen has been on high alert since April following a wave of explosions, one of which occurred last month near the prime minister's San'a residence. A Yemeni group that says it backs Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network has claimed responsibility for the attack.
On April 16, a bomb blast damaged a building housing offices of Yemen's intelligence service. No casualties were reported in either attack.
Al-Qaida supporters said they targeted the intelligence office, because it was where "US agents" launched their pursuit of militants in Yemen. The group also said its bombing campaign was to force authorities to release 173 supporters in Yemeni detention.
Yemen, located on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, has been a hotbed of terrorist activity. In October 2000, a dinghy loaded with explosives rammed the destroyer USS Cole as it was refuelling in Aden, killing 17 US sailors. The attack was linked to al-Qaida.
Yemen committed itself to joining the war on terrorism following the September 11 attacks in the United States and has allowed US forces to enter the country and train its military.
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