Aden: Suicide bombers on Monday attacked two army checkpoints in a former stronghold of Al Qaida in southeastern Yemen, killing 11 people, health and security officials said.
One attacker drove his bomb-laden truck into a checkpoint in a western district of Hadramout’s provincial capital Al Mukalla, security officials said.
The second attacker simultaneously blew up his vehicle at an army checkpoint in the nearby town of Hajr, located some 15 kilometres to the west of Al Mukalla, the sources said.
The commander of Hadramout’s second military region, General Faraj Salmeen had earlier said that the second bombing struck the centre of the city, blaming the attack on “terrorists”.
Eleven people were killed and 18 were wounded in the twin bombings, said Riad Jariri, head of the health department in Al Mukalla.
Four civilians were among those killed, he said.
No group has yet claimed responsibility.
Al Mukalla and surrounding towns were under the control of Al Qaida for one year until pro-government troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition recaptured the city in April.
In March, a US air strike on an Al Qaida training camp in Hajr killed more than 70 terrorists, provincial officials said.
Yemen has been gripped by a devastating conflict that escalated in March 2015 when Saudi-led air strikes began against Iran-backed Al Houthi rebels after the insurgents seized northern and central parts of the country, including the capital, Sana’a.
The violence has allowed extremists such as Al Qaida and Daesh to extend their influence and launch scores of attacks on security forces.
Last month, Daesh claimed a wave of suicide bombings targeting Yemeni troops in Al Mukalla that killed at least 42 people.
The Pentagon said in May that a “very small number” of US military personnel had been deployed around Al Mukalla in support of pro-government forces.
Washington considers the Yemen-based Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to be the network’s deadliest franchise and its drone strikes have taken out a number of senior AQAP commanders in Yemen over the past year.
