Yemen suicide car bombing claims dozens
‘IS-organised’ blast targets army recruits
ADEN: An Islamic State group militant rammed his explosives-laden car into an army recruitment centre in Aden yesterday, killing 60 people in the deadliest jihadist attack to hit the city in over a year.
Yemen’s army, supported by a Saudiled coalition, is training young recruits to join its nationwide war against Shia Houthi 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 Sana’a and other parts of the war-torn country.
Security officials said the attacker drove a car bomb into a gathering of army recruits at a school in northern Aden early yesterday.
Although the school 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 over them following the blast, which also damaged buildings close to the recruitment centre.
The assault killed at least 60 people and wounded about 30 others, medical sources from the three hospitals where the victims were taken said.
They could not immediately verify if all those killed were army recruits.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Twitter that their hospital in Aden “received 45 dead and at least 60 wounded” from the explosion.
Aden has seen a wave of bombings and shootings targeting officials and security forces.
Attacks in the port city are often claimed by jihadists from either al-Qaeda or the IS, who have both taken advantage of the chaos in Yemen to make gains in southern and southeastern regions.
The IS claimed yesterday’s bombing on its official propaganda outlet, Amaq, saying the blast had killed around 60 people.
Yemeni authorities have trained hundreds of soldiers in Aden over the past two months as part of operations to retake neighbouring southern provinces from jihadists.
Earlier this month, Yemeni government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition entered Abyan’s provincial capital Zinjibar.
Troops retook other towns across Abyan but have been met by fierce resistance in the key al-Qaeda stronghold of al-Mahfid, security sources said.
The militants are still present in areas surrounding the recaptured towns and control large parts of the neighbouring Shabwa province.
The Arab coalition battling Iranbacked rebels in Yemen has also been providing troops with air cover throughout their war against the jihadists.