8 soldiers killed in Yemen suicide car bombing

AP, REUTERS
Mourners take part in the funeral of Major General Ahmed Saif al-Yafei, the second-in-command of the Yemeni army, in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen on Friday. (REUTERS)

SANAA/ADEN: A suicide car bomber has struck a security camp in a southern Yemeni city, the capital of Abyan province, at dawn on Friday, killing at least eight soldiers, Yemeni security officials say.
The officials say the bomber who was wearing a military uniform, was disguised as a driver carrying a load of fire wood for cooking.
He failed to get inside the camp after soldiers stopped him and instead blew himself up at the gates.
Residents said they heard a loud explosion at dawn in the city.
The bomber is suspected to be an Al-Qaeda member, the local official said.
The explosion took place on Friday in the city of Jaar, a militant hotbed.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief reporters. No group immediately claimed responsibility.
Similar attacks have taken place in the past few months with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) a suspect in targeting military posts.
Southern Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since March 2015 between the internationally recognized government of President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, and Iran-allied Houthis.
It has seen a spate of suicide bombings by extremist groups.