Suicide bomber kills 45 in Yemen

SANAA: A suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives yesterday in a mustering area for army recruits in the port city of Aden in southern Yemen, killing at least 54 people, according to the Health Ministry.

The attack, one of the worst suicide bombings to hit the country, took place in the al-Sanafer neighbourhood and was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

The health ministry in Aden said that in addition to the dead, 67 people were wounded.

Many of the wounded were treated at a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders just a mile from the blast site. The humanitarian group said it had received 45 bodies.

“Around 8.15am, we heard a great explosion that shook the building of our hospital and we came to know that it occurred at a military camp,” said the group’s communication officer in Aden, Malak Shaher, adding that the injuries varied from critical to minor.

The chairman of Yemen’s Centre for Human Rights Studies, Mohammed Qasem Noman, said: “The explosion took place at a local government school where new recruits were signing up to join the military.”

Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, has been wracked by a multi-sided battle pitting government forces against Shia Houthi rebels in the north.

Extremist Islamist groups, including both al-Qaeda and IS, have taken advantage of the fighting to gain territory and launch attacks on both sides. In May, suicide bombers in Aden killed 45 army recruits lined up to enlist.

Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab coalition that is backing the internationally recognised government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and carrying out air strikes against the Shia rebels, which it claims are backed by Iran.

An estimated 3 500 civilians have been killed in the fighting over the past 18 months and about 3 million people have been displaced, according to the UN and aid groups. Peace talks mediated by the UN in Kuwait were suspended in early August, and the fighting has continued unabated.