WSJ:
An explosion at a munitions factory in southern Yemen killed more than 100 people, mostly local residents, after a group of unknown gunman had seized control of the site from the Yemeni military, according to witnesses and medical officials.
The cause of Monday's tragedy—and the events leading up to the powerful blast—are disputed by Yemen's central government, which is clinging to power amid an increasingly tense political crisis, and local residents and medical officials who treated the injured and helped remove victims' bodies from the site. President Ali Abdullah Saleh has warned that if he were pushed from office, al Qaeda would likely exploit the power vacuum and expand its reach in the strategically important Middle Eastern country.
Medical officials at the nearby Republican Hospital said that at least 124 people had been killed in the blast, and that among the corpses were women and children. Many of the bodies, however, were burned beyond recognition in the blast and resulting fires.
Security officials say the weapons factory and adjoining warehouse were seized on Sunday by al Qaeda-affiliated gunmen known to operate in the southern province of Abyan, one of the strongholds for the Islamist terrorist organization in the rugged Yemeni countryside. The officials didn't explain how the gunmen took control of the site, called the 7th of October Munitions Factory, which is normally guarded by Yemeni security officials.
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Locals claim the plant was captured by a separatist movement not affiliated with al Qaeda. Whoever took it over obviously did not know how to handle dangerous materials. And, why would you invite women and children into such a dangerous place? This almost qualifies as a "Not too smart" operation. Al Qaeda has been active in the province to the east of Abyan on the above map.
Image via Wikipedia
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