Missile strike, suicide bombings kill 51 in Yemen

ADEN, Yemen — Yemen’s main southern city of Aden was shaken by double attacks Thursday, as a missile fired by rebels hit a military parade and suicide bombers blasted a police station. At least 51 people were killed in the deadliest day in nearly two years in the de facto capital of the U.S.- and Saudi-backed side in Yemen’s civil war.

Most of the dead came from the missile strike, which slammed into a parade of newly graduated fighters belonging to a militia loyal to the United Arab Emirates, known as the Security Belt.

Among the dead was a senior commander in the militia, Monier al Yafie, also known by his nickname Aboul Yamama, a security official told The Associated Press. Aboul Yamama had just given a speech to the graduates and had stepped offstage to get a drink of water when the missile struck the al-galaa base. His body was torn in half, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details.

At least 40 people were killed at the base on Aden’s western outskirts, a health official said.

The earlier attack at the police station in the central Omar al-mokhtar neighborhood of Aden was believed to have been carried out by Islamic militants.

The violence wounded at least 56 people, officials said.

The northern part of Yemen is controlled by the Iran-backed rebels known as Houthis, who have positions on front lines as close as 60 miles from Aden and often hit it and nearby areas with missiles or bombs dropped by drones.

Islamic militants — from both al-qaida and an Islamic State group affiliate — also operate in Aden. Their mass bombings had become less frequent, though assassinations and shootings regularly take place.