16 soldiers were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Yemen

Last Updated on August 17, 2024 9:17 am

A suicide bombing in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan has killed 16 soldiers. 18 more people were injured in this incident.

Southern Transitional Council (STC) spokesman Mohammad al-Naqib said a suicide bomber drove a car bomb into a security forces military checkpoint in Mudiayeh district on Friday.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Arabian Peninsula branch of the Middle East-based Islamic terrorist group Al Qaeda network, issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. The vehicle used in the attack had a powerful bomb attached to it, the statement said.

The terrorist group has been attacking STC-affiliated forces in southern Yemen in recent years.

In April, AQAP announced that its leader, Khalid Batarfi, had died and had been replaced by Saad al-Awlaki. The group is trying to increase its influence by exploiting the long-term conflict in Yemen.

Incidentally, the Arabian Peninsula branch of Al Qaeda network was formed in 2009. But it began to strengthen since the start of the conflict between the government and Houthi rebels in Yemen in 2015. Currently, the southern region of Yemen is the strongest base of AQAP.