The U.S. embassy in Yemen on Sunday denied allegations that the U.S. government was behind last week's twin bomb attacks on the Houthi-led Shiite rebel followers in north Yemen, which left dozens of people killed and injured.
"The Houthi media office claimed that the U.S. government planned one or both of these events, which took place on Nov. 24 and 26," the embassy said in a press release posted Sunday on its website.
"The U.S. embassy was dismayed to learn that the Houthi media office made such ridiculous and baseless allegations. These claims dishonor the families in north Yemen who lost their family members and friends in the twin suicide bomber attacks," it said.
The embassy also condemned the attacks which targeted followers of Houthi rebel group in less than three days.
"The U.S. Mission in Sanaa strongly condemns the attacks that took place in northern Yemen on Nov. 24 and 26, and regrets the loss of civilian lives," the embassy's press release said.
"The U.S. government condemns the deliberate targeting of civilians as an abhorrent act. Our deep sympathies are with the families and friends affected by these horrible acts," it added.
On Nov. 26, the Saada-based leader of Houthi Shiite rebels Abdul-Malik al-Houthi issued a statement on his group's website, in which he clearly accused the U.S. of being behind the twin bomb attacks that targeted his followers.
Yemen has witnessed sporadic battles since 2004 between government troops and rebels. The government has been accusing the rebels of seeking to re-establish the clerical rule overthrown by the 1962 revolution that created the Yemeni republic.
On Aug. 26, the Yemeni government and Shiite rebels signed an agreement in Doha to cement the February fragile ceasefire, which aimed to end a six-year sporadic conflict. However, both sides repeatedly trade accusations over breaching the truce which still holds so far.
The government and rebels witnessed a shaky truce since February 2010, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned last Tuesday that there had been an "alarming escalation" in fighting in the region.
