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Belgians killed in Yemen attack | Belgians killed in Yemen attack |
(30 minutes later) | |
Two Belgian tourists have been killed after gunmen ambushed their convoy in eastern Yemen, security officials say. | |
Four other Belgians were wounded in the attack, which happened in the province of Hadramut. | Four other Belgians were wounded in the attack, which happened in the province of Hadramut. |
The attackers are believed to be Islamic militants, the Associated Press quoted unnamed officials as saying. | The attackers are believed to be Islamic militants, the Associated Press quoted unnamed officials as saying. |
Last July, seven Spaniards and two Yemenis were killed when a suicide car bomber attacked a group of tourists visiting a temple in central Yemen. | Last July, seven Spaniards and two Yemenis were killed when a suicide car bomber attacked a group of tourists visiting a temple in central Yemen. |
Unnamed officials told AP that the Belgian tourists were attacked as they travelled through Wadi Dawan, a desert valley about 300km (180 miles) east of the capital Sanaa. | |
They were reportedly driving in a five-vehicle convoy when a group of gunmen opened fire, the officials said. | They were reportedly driving in a five-vehicle convoy when a group of gunmen opened fire, the officials said. |
Al-Qaeda attacks | Al-Qaeda attacks |
Tourists are often drawn to Wadi Dawan area by the famous multi-storey mud buildings in the nearby town of Shibam. | |
Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Marc Michielsen has confirmed that two Belgians had died in the attack and said that he knew that at least one tourist had been seriously injured. | |
Tourists flock to see the historic mud tower blocks of Shibam"They were part of a group of tourists who were on an organized visit," he told AP. | |
Al-Qaeda has been blamed for a series of attacks in Yemen, the ancestral home of the group's leader Osama Bin Laden. | Al-Qaeda has been blamed for a series of attacks in Yemen, the ancestral home of the group's leader Osama Bin Laden. |
In July 2006 seven Spanish tourists and their two local drivers died when a suicide bomber rammed his car packed with explosives into their vehicles. | In July 2006 seven Spanish tourists and their two local drivers died when a suicide bomber rammed his car packed with explosives into their vehicles. |
That was the most deadly attack on Westerners in the country since 17 US soldiers aboard the USS Cole were killed when the ship was attacked by al-Qaeda militants as it rested in port in Aden. | That was the most deadly attack on Westerners in the country since 17 US soldiers aboard the USS Cole were killed when the ship was attacked by al-Qaeda militants as it rested in port in Aden. |
In recent years Yemen's government has been fighting Islamists with the help of US special forces based in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa. | In recent years Yemen's government has been fighting Islamists with the help of US special forces based in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa. |