Al Qaeda within the Arabian Peninsula claimed accountability for the assault by STC fighters in Abyan.
A suicide bomber killed 16 Yemeni pro-government troopers and wounded 18 others at a navy put up within the southern province of Abyan, native authorities stated.
Mohamed Naguib, spokesman for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), stated the attackers “drove a booby-trapped automotive into the safety forces compound within the Mudia area” on Friday.
Al Qaeda within the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed accountability for the operation in an announcement, saying a bomber detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive system at a navy put up, in accordance with the U.S. SITE intelligence group.
Al Qaeda was based in 2009 by the merger of the Yemeni and Saudi Arabian factions of Al Qaeda. It grew and developed amid the chaos of the Yemen struggle.
AQAP has been launching assaults in southern Yemen lately, typically focusing on forces affiliated with the United Arab Emirates-backed Strategic Council. In March, AQAP claimed an assault in Abyan province killed two militants.
Earlier this 12 months, AQAP introduced the loss of life of its chief Khalid Batarfi however gave no particulars on the reason for his loss of life. His successor is Saad al-Awlaki.
The group has additionally exploited the nine-year battle between Iran-allied Houthis and a Saudi-backed coalition to bolster its affect in Yemen.
Whereas the STC helps Yemen’s internationally acknowledged authorities in opposition to the Houthis, the group seeks independence for Yemen’s southern area, which was unified with the remainder of the nation in 1990.
In March 2015, a Saudi-led navy coalition launched a years-long offensive to help the Yemeni authorities in opposition to Houthi rebels who’ve occupied the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
The preventing sparked a significant humanitarian disaster that has since was a protracted battle, with the Houthis nonetheless controlling Sanaa and different main inhabitants facilities whereas the Saudi-backed authorities stays within the southern metropolis of Aden.
The combatants agreed to a ceasefire in April 2022, which expired in October of that 12 months. However preventing has largely been suspended amid diplomatic efforts to discover a lasting answer to the battle.
The AQAP assault heightened fears of violence within the nation amid a fragile pause in large-scale preventing.
Final month, an Israeli drone strike focusing on Houthi rebels in Tel Aviv hit the Yemeni port metropolis of Hodeidah, killing at the least six individuals.
The Houthis, who name themselves Yemen’s official armed drive, have been focusing on Crimson Sea waterways, saying they goal to drive Israel to finish its struggle in Gaza that has killed greater than 40,000 Palestinians.
