Suicide bomber kills 40 soldiers in Yemen

A SUICIDE bomber from the Islamic State group killed at least 40 Yemeni soldiers in Aden yesterday, in the latest in a string of deadly attacks against recruits in the country’s second city.

Military officials and medics said many others were wounded in the attack that targeted a crowd of servicemen who had gathered to collect their salaries near a base in northeastern Aden.

“The number of those killed has exceeded 40, with some 50 others wounded,” Aden health chief Abdel Nasser al-Wali said, adding that the death toll was likely to mount due to critical cases.

Medics had initially given a toll of 30 dead. The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who blended in among soldiers crowding outside the house of the head of special security forces in Aden, Colonel Nasser Sarea, in Al-Arish district, near Al-Sawlaban base.

Sarea said the bomber took advantage of the gathering and detonated his explosives among them.

Images from the blast scene showed blood stains and scattered shoes across the sandy ground.

IS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement that a “martyrdom seeker” had got through security checkpoints before blowing himself up.

The attack comes eight days after a similar bombing at Al-Sawlaban claimed by IS killed 48 soldiers and wounded 29 others.