Tag Archives: Bombing

Dozens Killed in Yemen Mosque Suicide Bomb Attack; ISIS Claims Responsibility

Dozens have been killed and more have been injured in a bombing at a crowded mosque on Thursday, and officials expect the death and injury tolls to rise.

The Balili mosque, located in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, was hosting several worshippers who were saying prayers to mark the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Adha at the time of the two explosions. Officials reported that the suicide bomber housed a bomb in his shoe, which he detonated, and then ran into the middle of the crowd to detonate the second bomb. Security also found two other devices in the bathroom that had not detonated.

“We found a shoe bomb and explosives hidden in underwear and abandoned in the toilet,” said Adnane Khaled, the head of security at the mosque.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter. The mosque is located in an area controlled by Shiite rebels, which ISIS, a Sunni militant group, views as heretics. This attack is the sixth time in three months that the mosque has been a target.

The attack comes two days after Yemen’s President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi returned from exile. He had fled the country in March when Houthi rebels made gains.

The United Nations estimates that thousands of civilians have been killed in Yemen since March. The number varies between 2,200 and 5,000.

Second Arrest in Bangkok Shrine Bombing

The head of Thailand’s military government announced a second arrest in the bombing of a shrine that left 20 people dead.

After the arrest of the suspect at the Cambodian border, Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters the suspect is “a key perpetrator in this case.”  He said the suspect is also connected to a bombing at a Bangkok pier the day after the shrine attack.

Officials say that bomb making materials and forged passports were found at the home of the arrested man.

“At first we thought he is Turkish. But we just found out two Turkish passports he is holding are all fake,” Prawut told CNN.  “We also found many empty fake passports, also various kinds of evidence.”

Police also issued more arrest warrants for people they believe to be connected to the attack.  Seven people are now sought with most of them foreigners.  One, a Muslim woman named Wanna Suansan, is the only named suspect and is currently in Turkey.

Police would not say if either of the two men currently in custody is the man shown in closed circuit video dropping a backpack at the shrine location which is speculated to have contained the bomb.

Syrian Government Bombs Civilians in Douma

The Syrian government has killed over 100 civilians in a series of airstrikes on a marketplace and other buildings in the Damascus suburb of Douma.

Syrian warplanes attacked the suburb Sunday and Monday with Sunday’s initial attack on a market killing over 80 civilians including women and children.

“In some places there was not enough capabilities to transfer the victims. It was very painful to see dead human bodies just left on the sidewalk,” said Abdullah al-Shami, a media activist, told CNN. “Scores of injured were bleeding while waiting their turn to get treatment.”

“It was really difficult to identify the bodies of the martyrs. Some of them were burned to the bone, so we couldn’t add them to the documented list,” said a 28-year-old spokesman of the Syrian Civil Defense Force, who declined to give his real name to Reuters for security reasons.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Syrian troops waited after the initial attack for rescue personnel to arrive on the scenes of the bombings and then struck the same areas with a second volley.

The United Nations issued a swift condemnation of the attacks, saying that the “attacks on civilians are unlawful, unacceptable and must stop”.

The White House also issued a strong condemnation of the actions of the Syrian government.

“This latest tragedy is just another reminder of the inhumane acts perpetrated daily by the Asad regime against the Syrian people,” National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.  “The regime is responsible for killing thousands of innocent Syrian civilians and destroying entire towns and cities, historical sites, schools, mosques, markets, and hospitals.  These abhorrent actions underscore that the Asad regime has lost legitimacy and that the international community must do more to enable a genuine political transition.”

(Misspellings of the Syrian regime listed in the quote above were done purposefully, as that is how the White House spells the regime’s name.)

Bangkok Bomber Caught on Video

Investigators in the bombing of a shrine in Bangkok, Thailand say they have video showing the suspected bomber leaving the scene of the attack.

The bombing has left 22 people dead and more than 120 injured.  Officials said the death toll is hard to maintain because many of the bodies were dismembered in the blast.

Police say a man in a yellow shirt was shown on video approaching the area with a black backpack that is not shown when he leaves the area.

“It is quite clear that he is the perpetrator in this case,” said Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri, a spokesman for the Thai national police.

“There are individuals or a group of people in our country who have ill will to the country,” he said. “This is a movement that probably wishes for political gain, and to destroy the economy, destroy tourism, among other things.”

Gen. Prawut said it was obvious from the bomber’s mannerisms that he was a professional.

The bombing site was a major intersection between the shrine and a large shopping mall.  The blast was so powerful that blood was found on the second story of the shopping mall.

Boko Haram Suspected of Bombs That Killed 64 During Muslim Celebration

Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram is believed to have continued to follow the call of ISIS leadership to conduct attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by killing 64 people in multiple bomb attacks.

Two female suicide bombers killed 12 people at two prayer grounds in Damaturu.  People were in the area preparing for the end of Ramadan at the site of the attack.

Nigerian Army Col. Sani Usman said one of the bombers was a 10-year-old girl.

“The first blast went off around 07:15 local time (06:15 GMT) while security volunteers who had come earlier than worshippers were waiting for the worshippers so they could assist in crowd control,” added eye witness Ahmad Adamu, a security volunteer.

A few hours earlier two other bombers killed 50 people who were buying groceries for the end of the holiday at a market in Gombe.

Officials confirmed at least other 75 people were wounded and were in two separate hospitals for treatment.

The group has killed over 300 people this month.

ISIS Carries Out Bombing Near U.S. Consulate in Irbil

The Islamic terrorist group ISIS has claimed responsibility for a bombing near the U.S. Consulate in the Kurdish Iraqi city of Irbil.

The terrorists said the consulate was their target.

Police said four people are dead and at least 18 people were injured by the car bomb.  The U.S. State Department said that all Consulate personnel were safe.

Police told reporters that a small improvised bomb detonated in the area which was followed by a car moving toward the consulate.  Security personnel began to fire on the car and when it was clear they would not make the consulate, the people within the car detonated their devices.

A witness reported a gun battle between the terrorists and police.

The blast took place across the street from a row of bars, cafes and shops frequented by consular employees.

“The United States will continue to stand with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and all Iraqis as we work together in confronting these terrorist acts and towards our shared goal of degrading and defeating (ISIS),” the State Department said in a statement.

ISIS Terrorists Kill At Least 100 In Mosque Attacks

ISIS terrorists are starting a campaign to destabilize Yemen and overtake the government by launching twin mosque attacks that killed 46 during Friday prayers.

Witnesses say that at least four terrorists blew themselves up in the mosques used by the Shia Muslim Houthis.  The attacks also left hundreds injured.

The terrorists also attacked the residents where the country’s former president has been living since the Houthis ousted him.

Local officials confirmed 46 dead but said that they also have many unaccounted for in the attacks.  Rebel TV stations say that hospitals have reported 137 dead and 345 people have been injured.

Police reportedly stopped a fifth bomber attack on another mosque.

The attack is the first major terrorist action by ISIS in Yemen.

Terrorists Target Christian Churches; 14 Dead

At least 14 people were killed when terrorists attacked their churches.

Officlals in Lahore, Pakistan said that at least 70 were wounded in the twin attacks.  One church was Catholic, the other was Protestant.

Geo TV reported that police stopped one of the bombers outside the church, forcing him to detonate outside killing one officer and wounding others.  The second bomber was able to enter the church and detonate in the middle of services.

“Islamist militants in Pakistan have attacked Christians and other religious minorities often over the last decade or more. Many Christians, who make up less than two percent of Pakistan’s population of more than 180 million, accuse the government of doing little to protect them, saying politicians are quick to offer condolences after an attack but slow to act to improve security,” Retuers reported.

The Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility for the attacks and said they are planning to attack more churches.

Boko Haram Forces 7 Year Old Girl To Carry Out Bomb Attack

In their latest assault on civilians, terrorist group Boko Haram has used a girl believed to be around 7 years old on a homicide bombing.

The attack happened in Potiskum in the northeastern part of Nigeria.  The attack killed five people along with the girl and sent 19 others to various hospitals.

The girl had been seen around a market by security guards who kept sending the girl away because “given her age, she did not have anything to do in the market.”  The security guards had been screening people for explosives before allowing them into the market when the girl detonated her device.

Security officials could not say if the girl was one of the 200 kidnapped from a boarding school in Borno state in April 2014.

Hamas Has 3,000 Suicide Bombers Ready to Attack Israel

An Israeli intelligence analyst has told reporters that Hamas has over 3,000 soldiers who have said goodbye to their families and are waiting to make a homicide bomb vest attack on Israel.

Gershon Baskin says all the fighters have their suicide vests and are just waiting for the order to carry out their attacks.

The information was released to the media just hours after the Hamas homicide bomb attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and ended a 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire.

“I was told by someone who had spoke to al-Qassam, the military wing of officer who said that before the ground operation began they were all instructed to go to their families and say goodbye to their families with the intent that they would not be returning alive from this battle,” Baskin told CNN. “This is one of the very difficult things about fighting with an organization like Hamas, particularly these very dedicated soldiers, combatants who are not afraid to die.”

Israeli spokesman Mark Regev said that his country will do whatever it takes to defend themselves from Hamas.