8 killed in IS-backed car bomb attack in Yemen's capital

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At least eight people were killed late on Monday in Yemen's capital Sanaa when a car bomb went off near a house of a Shiite Houthi leader, sources told Xinhua.

The car bomb placed near the house of Houthi leader Abdul Karim al-Kuhlani in al-Jeraf quarter in northern Sanaa exploded when his convoy was coming out, killing al-Kuhlani and seven of his bodyguards, a security official said on condition of anonymity.

Witnesses told Xinhua that several others were wounded. Hashim al-Zain said "We are surprised that the blast happened behind a mosque in al-Jeraf district that killed some people. We condemn this brutal action."

The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on Twitter, saying that "the attack was part of a series of operations in revenge for people against the Shiite rebels."

It's the fifth car bomb attack against the Shiite Houthi group since June in Sanaa by the IS.

The security situation in Yemen has deteriorated since 2011 when mass protests forced former President Ali Abdullash Saleh to step down.

The reconciliation talks failed to resolve the crisis, but created a huge power vacuum for the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the IS to expand their influence in the country.

The Shiite Houthi group seized the capital Sanaa by force last September and forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia in late March.

AQAP and the IS have intensified attacks against the Shiite Houthi group since the Houthis started to advance into the southern regions where the terrorist groups are active.

The Saudi-led coalition forces have been air striking the Houthi group and forces loyal to Saleh on a daily basis since March 26, while pro-Hadi tribal fighters resisted the Houthis' military operations in the southern regions.

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