ADEN (Xinhua) – At least seven Yemenis have been killed in an explosion carried out by al-Qaeda militants in the country’s southern province of Abyan, a military official told Xinhua.
“Members of al-Qaeda terror group targeted a gathering of Yemen’s government forces with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion in Mudiyah district,” the local military official said on condition of anonymity.
The official confirmed that the IED explosion left at least seven killed and more than eight others critically wounded.
The source indicated that “the explosion occurred while they were gathering to receive food supplies near their military site.”
Al-Qaeda militants frequently use hit-and-run tactics against Yemeni Yemenis while hiding out in rocky terrains and mountainous areas of Abyan and other neighboring provinces.
The Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula network has exploited years of Saudi-led conflict in Yemen to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country. It has carried out many high-profile attacks against the security forces in the country’s southern provinces.