‘ISIL suicide bomber’ kills 71 army recruits in Yemen

ADEN – Agence France-Presse

People gather at the scene following an attack by a suicide bomber who drove a car laden with explosives into a compound run by local militias in the port city of Aden, Yemen August 29, 2016. REUTERS photo

An Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group militant rammed his explosives-laden car into an army recruiting center in Aden on Aug. 29, killing 71 people in the deadliest jihadist attack on the Yemeni city in over a year.

The army, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, is training young recruits to join its nationwide war against Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies, as well as Sunni jihadists.

Aden is the temporary base of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which was forced into exile after Iran-backed insurgents seized Sanaa and other parts of the war-torn country.  Security officials told AFP the attacker drove the car bomb into a gathering of recruits at a school in the north of the port city.

The recruits were among 5,000 newly enrolled soldiers being trained to fight the Huthi rebels in the north along the border with Saudi Arabia, military sources said.

Although the complex was locked as recruits registered inside, the attacker drove in when the gate was opened for a delivery vehicle, officials said.

Witnesses said some recruits were buried when a roof collapsed after the blast which left a gaping hole on the building’s facade.

Debris was scattered around the complex and nearby buildings were damaged.

The assault killed at least 71 people and wounded 98, medical sources told AFP.
They could not immediately verify whether all those who died were army recruits.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Twitter that its hospital in Aden “received 45 dead and at least 60 wounded” following the explosion.

Aden has experienced a wave of bombings and shootings targeting officials and security forces.

Attacks in the city are often claimed by jihadists from either Al-Qaeda or IS, which have both taken advantage of the chaos in Yemen to make gains in the south and southeast.

ISIL claimed on Augb 29 that bombing on its official propaganda outlet, Amaq.