Authorities in Yemen blamed the self-styled Islamic State terrorists for an attack on a nursing home that killed 16 people.
Pope Francis condemned the massacre at the nursing home in Yemen that included the murders of four nuns as “diabolical”.
No one has claimed the attack but local Al-Qaeda militants have denied responsibility for the assault and government authorities have blamed IS. The attack occurred on Friday in Yemen’s provisional capital, AP reported
Vatican’s Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said, “Pope Francis was shocked and profoundly saddened to learn of the killing of four Missionaries of Charity and 12 others at a home for the elderly in Aden.
“He sends the assurance of his prayers for the dead and his spiritual closeness to their families and to all affected from this act of senseless and diabolical violence.”
Screams of elderly residents echoed from the home during the shooting rampage, according to witnesses recounting seeing the bodies of slain workers with their arms tied behind their back.
The nuns were identified as two Rwandans, a Kenyan and an Indian. The Vatican missionary news agency, Fides, reported that the mother superior managed to hide and survived the attack. An Indian doctor is missing.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, also known as Ansar al-Sharia, denied “any links to the attack on the elderly care home”. In a statement addressed to the residents of Aden, the group said, “These are not our operations and this is not our way of fighting.”
Al-Qaeda, which has seized parts of southern and eastern Yemen, has previously criticized IS for attacks on Shia mosques in the country that killed dozens.
The violence has escalated in Yemen, with more than 6,000 people killed since a Saudi-led coalition launched a campaign of airstrikes 18 months ago.
