Yemen: ISIS begins to rise to power.

(Baonghean.vn) - According to the latest announcement from AFP, the Islamic State (IS) organization has just claimed responsibility for two bloody attacks on Shiite mosques in the capital Sanaa, which killed at least 142 people and injured hundreds more.

The scene of the bloody attack carried out by IS on March 20 in the capital Sanaa, Yemen. Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Al-Sayaghi

This is the first time IS has claimed responsibility for attacks in Yemen. Previously, extremist Islamic militants also carried out a suicide attack outside a mosque targeting Houthi forces in Saada, but fortunately no one was killed.

It is known that in the 2000s, Yemen was a stronghold of Al-Qaeda. However, following the US intervention in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Al-Qaeda began to weaken and internal conflicts arose.

Furthermore, the political situation in Yemen has recently become increasingly chaotic with frequent clashes between Shiites and Sunnis. Since September 2014, Houthi forces have emerged and taken control of the capital, Sanaa. As a result, President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi was forced to retreat to Aden, a region in southern Yemen.

Seizing this opportunity, a terrorist group that split from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) pledged allegiance to IS between mid-November 2014 and February 2015. After its formation, the new IS branch in Yemen repeatedly carried out small-scale attacks against Houthi forces in Dhamar, located 100 km from the capital Sanaa. However, the two attacks on March 20th, which killed at least 142 people and injured hundreds more, are considered a milestone marking the rise of IS in Yemen.

Chu Thanh

According to Le Monde, March 21st.