71 killed as IS targets Yemeni army recruits Kerry: IS, B’deshi militants are linked
ADEN: 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 Afp.theycouldnotimmediately verify whether all those who died were army recruits. DHAKA:THE United States believes that elements of Islamic State are “connected” to operatives in Bangladesh, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday, promising help with intelligence and law enforcement after a wave of militant attacks.
Kerry’s blunt statement followed the July 1 attack on a cafe in the upscale Gulshan district of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, in which 22 people were killed — mostly non-muslims and foreigners, including one American.
It directly contradicted the narrative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, which has blamed homegrown militants and denied a foreign hand in the hostage taking at the Holey Artisan Bakery that was claimed by IS. Responding to questions after giving a speech, Kerry said he had a “very candid” conversation with Hasina.
He said the Islamic State had wide contacts around the world, including in South Asia, adding: “They are connected to some degree with some of the operatives here, and we made that very clear in our conversations.”
As Kerry’s motorcade headed to the US embassy, a government minister directly contradicted him. “I told him that there is no such terrorist or militants from outside or who are connected with the (IS), but there are militants inside our country and they are homegrown,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told Reuters.