DUBAI: A bomb attack on Friday in southern Yemen killed 16 pro-government fighters, in one of the deadliest operations claimed by Al Qaeda in months.

An explosive-laden vehicle targeted a site of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a group allied with the government, said an STC spokesperson.

The attack at the barracks in Abyan province killed 16 fighters and wounded 18 others, he said, blaming Al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda said in a statement a bomber detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at the military post. Yemen is a hotbed for outfits such as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), considered by the United States to be the group’s most dangerous offshoot.

The AQAP frequently attacks both Yemeni forces and Western targets. It has claimed high-profile attacks in the United States and Europe, including the 2015 assault on Charlie Hebdo magazine in France’s capital that killed 12 people.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2024