Aden [Yemen], August 17: The Yemen-based al-Qaeda branch claimed responsibility on Friday for a deadly suicide attack on a military barracks in Abyan province, southern Yemen.
The group, through al-Qaeda-affiliated social media channels, said that the attacker drove a car laden with bombs into the base housing the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces aligned with the Yemeni government.
Al-Qaeda circulated unverified images showing a large fireball and smoke at the military site. The group claimed the attack caused 50 casualties, including both deaths and injuries among STC forces.
In contrast, the STC reported 16 personnel killed and 18 wounded from the attack. The STC condemned the attack, pledging that "this heinous terrorist crime and those who instigate and finance it will not go unpunished."
Earlier, a local security official told Xinhua that around 7:00 am local time (0500 GMT), the attacker breached military checkpoints and detonated the car bomb at the AlFaridh school, currently serving as a temporary STC base in Mudiyah.
The incident adds to a series of violent attacks against STC and pro-government forces amid Yemen's ongoing civil war, which has persisted since 2014.
Source: Xinhua
