Civilian killed in bomb targeting south Yemen commander

A roadside bomb targeting a senior officer in the government-aligned forces in Yemen’s Aden on Tuesday killed two civilians and wounded six others.

The high ranking officer in the forces of Aden security was targeted by the bomb placed near a checkpoint on the road between Enma city and Al-Buraika in Aden, Lt. Abdulrahman Al-Naqeeb, the spokesperson of Aden police, told the National. Previous reports had indicated that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, however, Lt Al-Naqeeb discounted this.

“An explosive device blew up [next to] the car of Maj Mohammed Mothana Al Sumaidi Abu Muhtam, the commander of the fourth group in Aden security while he was heading to a meeting in the central command of the Arab Coalition forces in Al-Buriaka in Aden", Lt. Al-Naqeeb said.

“A motorist and a woman were killed in the explosion as they were standing near the car when the bomb was detonated. Two soldiers of the officer guards were injured", he added. One of the soldiers killed was driving Maj al Sumaidi Abu Muhtam's car while four passengers including the commander were wounded. Two other civilians were wounded.

The security official was injured in the blast and he wasn’t killed in the explosion as his vehicle is armoured. Images of the aftermath show a reinforced white SUV type car with large dents in the side and black blast marks along the side. However, the windows and doors of the car are not broken through.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the southern city.

Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has flourished in the chaos of the civil war, especially in the south of the country.

Ten suspected Al-Qaeda jihadists and two soldiers fighting for Yemen's government were killed last week in southern Yemen, in clashes and a drone strike, local officials and security sources said Sunday.