Car bomb wounds 4 in Yemen's capital

A car bomb went off near a mosque in Yemen's capital of Sanaa on Tuesday night, wounding four people, witnesses and security officials said.

The car that was parked near the Raudh mosque in eastern Sanaa went off as a few people were praying in the mosque.

Witnesses told Xinhua reporter that a woman, a child and two men were injured in the blast, adding that supporters of the Shiite Houthi group frequently prayed in that mosque.

A security official who was collecting evidence in the area said the blast was probably carried out by the Islamic State.

It's the fourth bomb attack against the Shiite Houthi group since June in Sanaa. On June 17, the IS claimed to have launched four car bombing attacks against three mosques and a Houthi office in Sanaa, in which 18 people were killed and dozens wounded.

Three days later, the group bombed another Houthi-controlled mosque in Sanaa, killing three people. On June 29, another IS car bomb attack wounded 20 people in the capital.

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

The ensuing three years of 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 Houhtis' military operations in the southern regions.

The UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, arrived in Sanaa on Sunday. He is expected to push for a pause in the fighting till the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to allow for deliveries of humanitarian aid.

On Friday, the UN alerted aid groups to be prepared for a possible humanitarian pause in the fighting that would allow them to deliver help to some of the 21 million people in need. Endit