On Sunday, at least 52 soldiers when a suicide bomber disguised as a disabled man blew himself up outside a military camp in the southern Yemeni city of Aden.
52 soldiers were killed and 63 were injured in the attack, which occurred near al-Sawlaban military base in Aden’s Khor Maksar district, where another Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up a week ago killing 50 soldiers.
The Islamic State group’s Yemen-based affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack, naming the attacker and publishing a photograph of him smiling with a rifle at his side and wearing an explosive vest, and standing next to the black and white Islamic State flag. In a statement posted via its Amaq news agency, IS said Sunday’s attacker, who it identified as Abu Hashem al-Radfani, detonated an explosive vest amid a crowd of soldiers.
Security officials said that preliminary investigations showed the blast was the work of a bomber wearing an explosives-laden vest. The attack took place as soldiers lined up to collect their salaries.
Abdurrahman Al Naqeeb, spokesperson of Aden’s police said, “Some soldiers are suffering from serious injuries, so the number of people killed may rise.”
One of the soldiers who is alive, Bassam Khalid said, “The explosion was about 150 meters from the gate of the house, and when I heard it, I could not believe that I was still alive, as I saw the dead bodies and injured people everywhere around us. The soldiers were so worried but they could not help the injured people quickly, as they suspected that a new suicide bomber will use ambulance, so all ambulances were inspected.”
He now intends to quit his job as a soldier for fear of losing his life in the next attack. “I will return to my former work as a weightlifter at Al Tilal club,” he said quietly.
Extremist groups like ISIL and Al Qaeda have consistently targeted the security forces in Aden.
Saudi Arabia and its allies in a mostly Gulf Arab military coalition have been bombing the Houthi movement in the parts of the country under its control since it drove the government from power in March 2015. They have failed to dislodge the group from the capital, Sanaa.
