MA’ARIB, YEMEN – Remind me again how targeting people at prayer is OK.
For a heck of a lot of people worship is a very important part of their lives. Whether it is personal prayer or collective services – even those who show up once a year at best (e.g. midnight mass for some Christians at Christmas time) – the absence of this opportunity to recognise/thank/beg one’s Creator would hurt.
When it comes to collective gatherings there is a sense of community. I am sure there are also social benefits and even perhaps personal/economic ones: lots of faith bodies go to the aid of their less fortunate members identified in part through these common events.
How bad is it, then, when a group of fellow believers is attacked in the very act of prayer?
On this day in 2020
Houthi terrorists launched a drone and missile attack on a mosque in Ma’arib, Yemen, killing 83 soldiers and injuring 148 during evening prayers. The atrocity came a day after coalition-backed government forces launched a large-scale operation against the Houthis in the Nihm region, north of Sana’a.
The disgraceful actions of the Huthi militia without a doubt confirm its unwillingness to [achieve] peace, because it knows nothing but death and destruction and is a cheap Iranian tool in the region.
Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi
I understand, even though I cannot support, why the attack struck where it did as the victims were soldiers actively targeting the terrorists. But a mosque during evening prayers? Is nothing sacred?
Read More Today in Terrorism
May 31, 1906: Spanish anarchist bombs royal wedding
On May 31, 1906 a Spanish anarchist threw a bomb hoping to hit King Alfonso XIII, killing 24 and wounding more than 100.
May 30, 2009: Anti-government group bombs TV station in Ecuador
On May 30, 2009 two pamphlet-bombs exploded outside an Ecuadorian TV station and ministry: no victims or significant damage ensued.
May 29, 2016: ISIS uses chlorine gas in terrorist attack
On May 29, 2016 35 civilians were wounded in an ISIS attack using rockets containing chlorine gas in Iraq’s Nineveh Province.
