71 killed as IS targets Yemeni army recruits
An Islamic State group militant rammed his explosivesladen car into an army recruiting centre in Aden today, killing 71 people in the deadliest jihadist attack on the Yemeni city in over a year.
The army, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, is training young recruits to join its nationwide war against Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies, as well as Sunni jihadists.
Aden is the temporary base of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which was forced into exile after Iranbacked insurgents seized Sanaa and other parts of the war-torn country.
Security officials told AFP the attacker drove the car bomb into a gathering of recruits at a school in the north of the port city.
The recruits were among 5,000 newly enrolled soldiers being trained to fight the Huthi rebels in the north along the border with Saudi Arabia, military sources said. Although the complex was locked as recruits registered inside, the attacker drove in when the gate was opened for a delivery vehicle, officials said.
Witnesses said some recruits were buried when a roof collapsed after the blast which left a gaping hole on the building’s facade.
Debris was scattered around the complex and nearby buildings were damaged. The assault killed at least 71 people and wounded 98, medical sources told AF P. They could not immediately verify whether all those who died were army recruits.