Yemen: six wounded in car bomb attack on police commander

A car bombing has wounded at least six people and destroyed dozens of cars in the Dar Saad district of Yemen's southern Aden province.

Dar Saad's police chief, Col Musleh Al Tharhani, was the target of the attack on Saturday.

The blast happened as his convoy passed a parked car, suggesting the attack did not involve a suicide bomber.

Witnesses said the explosion did not hit Col Al Tharhani's vehicle. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing.

"An explosives-laden vehicle parked by unknown elements in the roadside in Al Karra, in Dar Saad district, was blown up while the convoy of the police chief of Dar Saad, Col Musleh Al Tharhani, was passing at 1.15pm on Saturday," Brig Ali Al Awlaki, head of the security committee in Aden, told The National.

"Three passers-by and three soldiers from the guardians of the police commander were injured in the incident and dozens of vehicles were destroyed."

Col Al Tharhani has served as a police chief in Al Basateen in northern Aden since 2016 and in February this year he was given the role in Dar Saad district.

He has been widely praised for his effective role in the fight against extremists in the southern province.

The attack took place near Al Karra market, well-known for selling qat, a stimulant popular in parts of Yemen.

The assassination attempt comes in the wake of a wide-ranging campaign launched by security forces in June aiming to impose a ban on illegal weapon ownership, combined with a crackdown on unregistered cars.

Security forces hope the campaign can curb terrorist infiltration and breakup drug smuggling networks.

"The tireless efforts exerted by the security forces in Aden have succeeded, and the cowardly attempt which targeted the police chief of Dar Saad today proves that the security campaign has paid off," Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Al Naqeeb the spokesperson of the security forces in Aden told The National.

"Since the campaign was launched in June security troops have foiled a number of terrorist infiltration attempts, seized thousands of unregistered vehicles and hundreds of unlicensed guns and captured dozens of terror elements and dozens of criminals including drug smugglers" Lt Col Al Naqeeb said.