8 killed in suicide bombing near Yemen presidential palace

ADEN, Yemen – A suicide car bombing killed at least 8 people at a checkpoint outside Yemen’s presidential palace in the southern city of Aden on Thursday, January 28, security and medical officials said.

The dead included soldiers and civilians and at least 12 others were wounded, a medical source said. 

A security source said the attack appeared to target the convoy of a local businessman who was entering the presidential complex.

Sources had initially said the convoy was carrying Aden’s governor, Aidarus al-Zubaidi, but he later told AFP he was not in the area at the time of the attack.

Witnesses said the blast had damaged at least six vehicles and a nearby mosque.

Zubaidi survived a car bombing earlier this month, after being appointed in December following the killing of his predecessor, Jaafar Saad, in an Aden bombing claimed by the Islamic State group.

Aden has become the temporary headquarters for President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s government as it battles to retake large parts of the country from Shiite Huthi rebels, including the capital Sanaa.

But the city has also seen a growing jihadist presence, with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, long active in Yemen, and IS apparently vying for influence. – Rappler.com