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At least 20 killed in Sanaa mosque bombings in Yemen

By Tomas Monzon

SANAA, Yemen, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Two suicide bombs were detonated Wednesday at a Shia mosque in the capital of Yemen, killing at least 20 and injuring several others.

One bomber detonated a bomb up as worshipers were exiting the Al-Moayad mosque, and a car bomb later went off as first responders arrived on the scene.

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The Islamic State -- also identified as IS, ISIS, ISIL and Daesh -- claimed responsibility for the attacks through Twitter.

Earlier in the day, two aid workers were shot in northern Yemen. The two International Committee of the Red Cross employees were traveling in a convoy in Sanaa. They were shot by a lone gunman who opened fire on them as they traversed the northern province of Amran.

IS has escalated attacks in Yemen since a team of northern Shia Muslim rebels called Houthis took over parts of Yemen, including the capital. The group forced the government into exile in March and is backed by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

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Their purpose is to reverse a pattern of what they call "corruption" and a government plan to "marginalise their heartland within a proposed federal system."

The mosque that was attacked is located near the office of the Houthi rebels. It is the latest in a string of IS and other attacks against Houthi locations or those in the vicinity, such as airstrikes against the rebels by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition.

The Wall Street Journal reports the power vacuum in Yemen is being expolited by armed groups that kidnap Westerners and sell the captives to organization like al-Qaida. The United Nations estimates more than 3,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in Yemen since March.

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