Suicide bomber in Yemen kills 33 people

Sanaa: A suicide bomber dressed as a woman killed 33 people in central Yemen on Wednesday when he blew himself up at a celebration by Shiite militia supporters, medical and security sources said.
Dozens of people were also wounded in the attack in the mainly Sunni but Huthi militia-held city of Ibb, the medics said, warning that the death toll was likely to rise.
Yemen has been dogged by instability since an Arab Spring-inspired uprising forced longtime strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh from power in 2012, with Shiite Huthi rebels and Al-Qaeda seeking to fill the power vacuum.
Among those wounded in Wednesday’s attack was Ibb governor Yahya Al-Aryani, who was attending the Huthis’ commemoration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, a medic said.
A security source told AFP that the bomber had been wearing a woman’s black abaya and veil when he detonated his suicide belt.
Another bomb was discovered at the entrance to the event’s venue, the source added.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen branch of the jihadist organization, has pledged to fight the Huthis, who overran the capital Sanaa unopposed in September and have since advanced into other, mainly Sunni districts, including Ibb.
AQAP military chief Qassem Al-Rimi vowed in November to carry out fierce attacks against the Shiite militia, and several deadly bombings targeting Huthis have been claimed by the jihadist group.