Fight is also against poverty

Monday's suicide bombing in Yemen should be a timely reminder that there is still a long way to go before the world rids itself of the scourge of terrorism. It should also draw attention to the urgency of addressing social instability and poverty in countries like Yemen.

The attack was launched against soldiers rehearsing for a parade to celebrate Yemen's National Unity Day on Tuesday. The suicide bomb left 96 soldiers dead and around 300 injured. The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack in retaliation against a recent government crackdown.

Formed by Yemeni and Saudi terrorist wings in 2009, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has been described as the most dangerous terrorist group in the world and it has become a cancer in a country already plagued by abject poverty and separatist conflicts between the south and the north.