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A day after attack on parade rehearsal killed 96, 'solemn' celebrations go ahead as US offers help to investigate bombing
Yemeni soldiers have marched in a National Day parade, watched from behind a bullet-proof glass shield by the president, one day after a bomber killed more than 90 troops in an attack on a rehearsal for the event.
The ceremony, meant to celebrate the 1990 unification of north and south Yemen, went ahead on Tuesday as the US offered help to investigate the attacks and pledged to "stand by Yemen's side at this difficult time".
The bombing, one of the deadliest in Yemen in recent years, was a setback to the Gulf state in its battle against Islamists linked to al-Qaida and heightened US concerns over a country in the frontline of Washington's global war on militants.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap) and its affiliate Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) both claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday.
Heavy security surrounded President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi as well as senior civilian and military officials as they watched the parade, which was moved from the scene of the attack at Sabaeen Square to the air force academy in Sana'a. Hadi, who took over after former president Ali Abdullah Saleh handed over power in November following months of protests against his 33-year rule, told victims' families on Monday that the fight against al-Qaida would carry on undaunted.
"The war on terrorism will continue until it is uprooted and annihilated completely, regardless of the sacrifices," Hadi said.
Patrols were stepped up across the capital and dozens of police officers were stationed at street intersections. Few people ventured out, partly due to the holiday and partly for fear of more attacks.
"We are sad for our comrades, but al-Qaida will not scare us," said Khaled al-Ansi, a soldier stationed at a street corner in central Sana'a. "We will confront it and defeat it," he added, fingers on the trigger of his gun.
The huge explosion, carried out by a man in a military uniform in the middle of the tightly packed parade rehearsal, killed more than 90 people and wounded at least 220, according to the defence ministry.
One Yemeni investigator said preliminary findings suggested the bomber was a rogue soldier recruited by al-Qaida who somehow evaded security checks.
Officials said only military cadets, rather than regular troops, took part in Tuesday's parade as a security precaution.
The Turkish ambassador, Fazli Corman, who attended the ceremony, said: "Everyone was relieved at the end that it went safely. There was not a celebratory atmosphere. It was solemn.
"Not a single seat was left empty, all the foreign ambassadors were there. It was a strong message of solidarity on the part of the Yemeni government."
At the Nato summit in Chicago on Monday, Barack Obama said he was very concerned about extremist activity in Yemen and pledged more aid to counter it.
"That's important for US safety. It's also important for the stability of Yemen and the region," the US president said.
Obama's counter-terrorism adviser, John Brennan, telephoned Hadi to offer US help in the investigation, saying Washington "would stand by Yemen's side at this difficult time", the White House said.
Washington is increasing its support for Hadi's government but the US military's drone attacks targeting militants in Yemen have frequently killed civilians and are deeply resented by Yemenis, even the many who abhor al-Qaida.
Exploiting turmoil resulting from the months of protests that helped topple Saleh, militants have seized swaths of territory in the south and threatened shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
The Aqap said the parade attack was in response to the "crimes" of the security forces in the southern Abyan province.
Yemeni troops had closed in on the southern militant-held town of Jaar on Sunday, part of a new US-backed offensive launched this month to regain control of territory and towns seized by Ansar al-Sharia.
A US military trainer was seriously wounded in an ambush on Sunday claimed by Ansar al-Sharia.