IS suicide bomber kills 9 recruits in Yemen army camp

A suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt at the gates of an army camp in southern Yemen, killing at least 9 recruits on Wednesday in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

Gen. Ahmed Seif al-Yafai, a Yemeni commander, told The Associated Press the attack took place at a camp close to the southern city of Aden, which the internationally-recognised government and its Saudi-led military backers are using as a base for air strikes against Shiite rebels, known as the Houthis, who control the capital.

Total anarchy

The Saudi-led coalition and Yemeni forces took control of Aden in the summer after expelling the Houthis and their allies, however the city has descended into lawlessness since then. Islamic State and al—Qaida branches in Yemen have created safe havens inside the city.

Yemen’s IS affiliate issued a claim of responsibility for Wednesday’s bombing in a statement posted online and identified the attacker as Abu Eissa al-Ansari, posting a picture for a young man with a Kalashnikov assault rifle. The Associated Press could not immediately independently verify the statement, but it resembled previous claims. The targeted camp was delivering training programs to southern army fighters.

Botched kill bid

Wednesday’s attack comes one day after a failed assassination attempt on Aden’s governor and its police chief, the third attempt in nearly two months. The IS claimed responsibility for assassination of the former governor of Aden and several other deadly bombings across the country, including a suicide attack on a mosque in the capital Sana’a last year, which killed 130 people.