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Sana'a: Two mortars went off early yesterday near the Italian embassy and government buildings in the heart of Sana'a but no causalities were reported, witnesses and officials said.
The place where the explosions took place houses the buildings of the Ministry of Finance, Customs Institute, Italian embassy, and the headquarters of the central committee of the Yemeni Socialist Party.
The mortars hit the yard of the Customs Institute, which is adjacent to the Italian embassy, in Al Safia neighbourhood.
"It's most likely [that] mortars [were] fired from a distance but missed the Italian embassy," a source close to the investigations told Gulf News.
Previous attacks
Although no one claimed responsibility for the attack, there was similarity between this and a series of previous attacks on foreign and government sites over the last few weeks claimed by Al Qaida-linked groups.
In statements posted on the internet, groups calling themselves Al Qaida of Yemen claimed responsibility for firing three mortars on military sites in Sayoun Hadhramout on April 22, and three mortars on a residential compound housing Americans and other nationals in Sana'a on April 6.
No casualties were reported in both incidents.
The groups also claimed responsibility for attacking the checkpoints in the eastern province of Hadhra-mout on April 4 and for the failed mortar attacks on the US embassy in Sana'a on March 19. In their statements, the groups described the Yemeni government as an "apostate" saying the attacks were in retaliation for holding their colleagues in prisons to please the American "enemy".
"Al Qaida is regrouping itself very well nowadays. There is an estimated 400 to 500 Al Qaida elements only in Sana'a," a security expert told Gulf News on condition of anonymity.
"The reason why is very complicated - it's political, economic, social and religious," he said.
New strategies
Also according to its statements posted on the internet, Al Qaida alleges to have new strategies to strike the marine activities and target oil and tourism installations.
"It has become necessary for the Mujahedeen, who run a global battle to restore [an] Islamic rule [caliphate] to control the sea and its ports," said a statement, adding that sea terrorism is a strategic necessity.
The Yemeni sea ports are the most important to control the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden.
"As the Mujahedeen succeeded in martyrdom battles on the ground, the sea should be the next strategic step to be taken," the statement threatened.
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