| Yemeni hospital attack | |
| Partof: | Yemeni Crisis (2011-present) |
| Location: | Sana'a, Yemen |
| Date: | 5 December 2013 |
| Type: | Suicide car bombing, mass shooting |
| Target: | Yemeni Defense Ministry |
| Fatalities: | 56[1] |
| Injuries: | 200+ |
| Perps: | Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula |
On 5 December 2013, a series of bomb and mass shooting gun attacks killed at least 56 people and wounded 162 at the Yemeni Defense Ministry in Sanaa, including those at the ministry's hospital.[2] [3] Yemeni military investigators say 12 militants, mostly Saudi nationals, were responsible for the attack [4]
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and their local affiliate Ansar al-Sharia gained significant strength amid the Yemeni revolution in 2011, which allowed them to seize territory in southern Yemen while the central government was preoccupied.[5] Despite this, terrorist attacks were still rare in Sana'a due to heavy security and AQAP's preoccupation with battling Yemeni forces in the southern governorates.[6] After the government launched a military offensive against them in 2012 and the United States intensified their drone campaign, AQAP began launching several attacks against government and security targets in the capital such as with the Unity Day parade rehearsal bombing in May 2012, a suicide bombing at a police academy in July[7] and a car bombing which attempted to assassinate Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed in September.[8] Despite losing their territory in the south, the group continued waging large attacks, such as in September 2013 when AQAP fighters attacked two military installations in southern Yemen, killing 21 soldiers.[9] In November 2013, two AQAP gunmen on a motorcycle killed a Belarusian defence contractor.[10] The Yemeni government introduced a new security plan for Sana'a on 2 December in response to the shooting, which included provisions such as banning motorcycles within the central part of the capital.
The Yemeni Ministry of Defense complex, which houses the presidential office, minister of defense and military chief of staff, is regarded as one of the most important and secure facilities in the country.[11] Within the complex contains the al-Oradi Hospital which is used by military and civil state senior officials and hosts foreign workers.[12] [13] [14] A month prior to the attack, two army vehicles had reportedly disappeared according to military officials.[15] The security chief at the defense ministry compound was replaced two weeks prior to the attack. One week prior, the defense ministry was warned that a major attack in Sana'a was imminent, leading to authorities allocating additional security forces at the compound. The Yemeni defense minister, who had previously been the subject of multiple assassination attempts by AQAP, was meeting with the U.S. government in Washington on the day of the attack.[16] At the time the attack began, a planned meeting of top military commanders was set to take place, though it was unexpectedly delayed at the last minute.
AQAP gunmen dressed in army uniforms opened fire on the guards at gate of the defense ministry complex, leading to a gunfight which killed four guards and three militants.[17] After killing the guards, an AQAP suicide bomber rammed a truck loaded with 500 kg of explosives through the western gate of the complex at around 9:00 a.m. AST .[18] The explosion blew out the windows and doors of nearby homes and offices in the complex and destroyed an armored military vehicle along with three other cars.[19] Witnesses described the initial blast violently shaking the ground near the complex and in the Bab al-Yemen district, with large plumes of smoke soon rising from the building.[20] The bombing killed 18 soldiers and wounded at least 40.[21] Minutes after the bombing, a second vehicle containing 12 AQAP gunmen in military uniforms armed with assault rifles, hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades drove through the gates and opened fired on the soldiers present in the compound.[22] [23] The militants split into groups and stormed three different departments in the complex; a laboratory, a mosque and the al-Oradi Hospital near the breached gate.[24] [25] [26] [27] Within the hospital, AQAP gunmen killed soldiers, doctors, nurses, and patients. According to witnesses, one of the militants "pulled a Western doctor and a Filipino nurse into the hospital's courtyard and shot them in front of local staff." CCTV footage showed several scenes from the attack, including a militant calmly walking towards a huddling group of doctors and nurses before throwing a grenade at them, as well as a militant shooting surgeons at point-blank range.[28] The Yemeni army sealed off the ministry compound and besieged the militants, battling the gunmen for several hours with the firefight claiming the lives of 15 soldiers. Three gunmen were killed by Yemeni forces raiding the al-Oradi Hospital, while the remaining five were killed by the next day, ending the siege.
On 5 December, Ansar al-Sharia, a militant group linked to al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the attack.[29] [30]
The attacks claimed 56 lives and caused more than 200 injuries. Foreign medical workers were among the casualties.[1] Among those who were killed were seven Filipino medical workers (including one doctor),[31] [32] two German aid workers, two Vietnamese doctors and one Indian nurse. Officials have said that all 12 militants which including Saudi Arabians were killed.[1]
| Nationality | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|
| 20+[33] | ||
| 7[34] | ||
| 2 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 1 |
On 6 December, the U.S. military has increased its regional alert status following deadly, coordinated strikes on Yemen's defense ministry that killed 57 and wounded 167 people on Thursday, a senior U.S. defense official said on Friday.“The United States military is fully prepared to support our Yemeni partners in the wake of this incident,” the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, and without offering further details.[29]
The Philippines has banned deployment of migrant workers to Yemen in response to the attack which saw the deaths of seven Filipinos. The Philippine government will pay the expenses of Filipinos who wish to return to the Philippines.[31]
Germany temporarily reduced its staff at its embassy in Sana'a and called for its aid workers in Yemen to leave the country "as quickly as possible",.[35]
After footage of the attack was aired on Yemeni television, showing an attack on a hospital within the ministry compound and the killing of medical personal and patients, the head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released a video message apologizing. Qassim al-Raimi claimed that the team of attackers were directed not to assault the hospital in the attack, but that one had gone ahead and done so.[36]