A suicide bomber has killed 16 Yemeni pro-government soldiers and wounded 18 others in a military post in the southern province of Abyan, local authorities have said.

The attacker “drove a booby-trapped car into a site for the security forces” in the Mudiyah district on Friday, said Mohamed al-Naqib, a spokesperson for the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility for the operation in a statement, saying a bomber detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at the military post, according to US-based SITE intelligence group.

Formed in 2009 from the merger of Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni and Saudi factions, AQAP grew and developed in the chaos of the war in Yemen.

AQAP has been carrying out attacks in southern Yemen in recent years, often targeting forces affiliated with the STC, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates. In March, an attack claimed by AQAP killed two fighters in the Abyan province.

Earlier this year, AQAP announced the death of its leader Khalid Batarfi without providing details on how he died. He was succeeded by Saad al-Awlaki.

The group has also used a nine-year conflict between the Iran-allied Houthi group and a Saudi-backed coalition to bolster its influence in Yemen.

While the STC backs the internationally recognised Yemeni government against the Houthis, the group seeks independence in areas in southern Yemen, which unified with the rest of the country in 1990.

Source: Al Jazeera 

BDST: 1240 HRS, AUG 17, 2024
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