Aden, Jan 28 (IANS) At least nine soldiers were killed and many others injured on Thursday in a suicide attack targeting the Presidential Palace in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden. The Islamic State terror outfit’s Yemen-based affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack.
A security official told Xinhua that an explosives-laden car struck a military checkpoint near the outer gate of the Presidential Palace in Aden’s Cirater area.
The IS branch in Yemen released a statement on social media indicating that “a fighter from the Netherlands” carried out the bombing.
“About 10 soldiers of the Presidential Guard Forces were killed, including senior officers and more than 20 others injured during the jihadist operation,” the statement said.
The IS threatened to carry out more attacks targeting Yemen President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government.
Yemeni experts said it was the first time the Yemen-based branch used a bomber from a foreign country to carry out attacks in Yemen.
Thursday’s attack took place just a day after Prime Minister Khaled Bahah held a meeting with local chiefs of Yemen’s armed forces and commanders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan in Aden to discuss the security situation.