ADEN, Yemen: A suicide bomber killed at least 50 Yemeni soldiers at a base in the city of Aden, a local security official said, in another major attack claimed by the Daesh group on forces of the internationally recognized government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
The attacker blew himself up as the troops were waiting to collect their salaries, the government sources added, wounding around 70 others as they lined up to collect salaries at the entrance to the Sawlaban base on the outskirts of the city.
Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack in a message posted online.
“A martyr from the Islamic State detonated his explosives belt in Al-Sawlaban military camp in Aden during a gathering of the Yemeni army,” the Daesh-affiliated Amaq news outlet said.
Yemeni authorities have for months pressed a campaign against jihadists who remain active in the south and east of the war-torn country.
Daesh and its jihadist rival Al-Qaeda have taken advantage of a conflict between the government and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa, to bolster their presence across much of the south.
The two groups have carried out a spate of attacks in Aden, Yemen’s second city and headquarters of the Hadi government whose forces retook the port from the Houthis last year.
Al-Qaeda has long been the dominant jihadist force in Yemen, but experts say Daesh is seeking to supplant its extremist rival.
In August a Daesh militant rammed his explosives-laden car into an army recruiting center in Aden, killing 71 people in the deadliest jihadist attack on the city in over a year.
On Monday, Yemeni authorities arrested eight suspected Daesh jihadists implicated in a spate of attacks targeting security personnel in the city this year.
A Saudi-led coalition has since March 2015 supported loyalist forces fighting the Houthis.
Daesh claims Aden suicide attack that killed 50 troops
Daesh claims Aden suicide attack that killed 50 troops
