Militants attack hospital at Yemen's Defense Ministry, killing 52

Militants staged a deadly attack on Yemen's Defense Ministry on Thursday, ramming the building with an explosives-laden vehicle, followed by gunmen who battled security forces inside.

The attack targeted a hospital at the Defense Ministry complex, Yemen's state-run Saba news agency

reported.

At least 52 people died in the attack in the capital, Sanaa, according to the government. A Defense Ministry official said four foreign doctors were among the dead. Also, a relative of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi died in the attack, the government said. It did not name the relative.

Earlier, Defense Ministry officials had said 10 soldiers and nine militants were among the dead.

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It took several hours for security forces to regain control of the building after the 9 a.m. attack.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

The U.S. State Department condemned the attack.

Yemen is home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, believed by many analysts to be the most dangerous affiliate of the terror network. The impoverished Middle Eastern nation also faces a growing separatist movement in the south and is frequently wracked by violence.

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