A militant yesterday rammed his explosives-laden car into an army recruitment center in Aden, killing 60 people in the deadliest extremist attack to hit the city in more than a year.
Yemen’s army, supported by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition, is training young recruits to join its nationwide war against Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies, as well as Sunni militants.
Aden is the temporary base of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which was forced into exile after Iran-backed insurgents seized Sana’a and other parts of the war-torn country.
Security officials told reporters that 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 center.
The assault killed at least 60 people and wounded about 30 others, medical sources from three hospitals where victims were taken told reporters.
They could not immediately verify if all who were killed were army recruits.
Medecins Sans Frontieres 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 militants from either al-Qaeda or the Islamic State, which have both taken advantage of the chaos in Yemen to make gains in southern and southeastern regions.
The Islamic State claimed yesterday’s bombing on its propaganda outlet, Amaq News Agency, saying the blast had killed about 60 people.
Earlier this month, a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a large group of army reinforcements sent from Aden to fight extremists in neighboring Lahj, killing five soldiers, according to military officials.
No group has claimed that attack.
However, on July 20, four policemen were killed in an Islamic State-claimed bomb attack in Aden.
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