Blast heard near US Embassy in Yemeni capital

Explosion followed by gunfire

By AP 28 October 2013, 11:09 pm

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ADEN, Yemen — A large explosion followed by heavy gunfire was heard late Monday near the US Embassy in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, security officials and residents said.

The officials said security sealed off the area. They did not know how close the blast was to the embassy. They spoke anonymously as they were not authorized to talk to media.

Yemen is fighting a war against al-Qaeda’s local branch, considered by Washington to be one of the world’s most dangerous offshoots of the terror network.

The US and Britain evacuated diplomatic staff from Sanaa in August after learning of a threatened attack that prompted Washington to close temporarily 19 diplomatic posts in the Middle East and Africa.