45 perish in suicide bombing

In the east of the country, meanwhile, a suspected US drone strike late on Saturday killed five Al-Qaeda militants, a local official said.
The bomber struck on Saturday in Jaar, one of a string of towns in Abyan province that were retaken by government troops in June after being held by Al-Qaeda loyalists for more than a year.
“An Al-Qaeda suicide bomber detonated his explosives belt during a mourning ceremony organised by the Popular Resistance Committees, a local militia that fought alongside the army,” said provincial governor Jamal al-Aqal.
“Bodies were flying in all directions because the explosion was so powerful,” a witness said.
The deputy head of Jaar’s municipal authority held the government at least partially responsible for the attack because of its slowness in deploying police to the town after its recapture by the army.
“There is no presence of police in Jaar and other towns of Abyan, while Al-Qaeda militants remain underground,” said Nasser Abdullah Mansari.
On Wednesday, an attack by Al-Qaeda militants on a police station in Jaar killed four soldiers and a civilian.
Residents have expressed fears that the jihadists could retake the town.
The suspected US drone strike came near the village of Al-Qotn in Hadramawt province, another region where Al-Qaeda has been active.
Security forces sealed off the scene of the strike, witnesses said.
The United States is the only country that has drones in the region and in recent months has stepped up its strikes on Al-Qaeda targets in the south and east of Yemen.
Washington regards the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as the most effective branch of the global jihadist network.
Al-Qaeda loyalists have carried out a spate of deadly attacks against Yemeni security forces and their militia allies since President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi came to power earlier this year pledging to crush the militants. — AFP.