Car bomb kills 5 security personnel in southern Yemen

By Shukri Hussein

ADEN, Yemen (AA) - Five Yemeni security personnel were killed Friday by a suicide car bombing in Yemen’s southern Abyan province, according to local security sources.

A suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden vehicle into the main gate of a police station in Zinjibar, Abyan’s regional capital, a local security source told Anadolu Agency, speaking anonymously as he was not authorized to talk to the media.

The same source said the attack -- which was followed by an attempt by suspected Al-Qaeda militants to storm the gate -- had resulted in a large number of casualties.

Bahraini security forces repelled the assault, however, injuring two of the attackers in the process, according to the source.

"Five security personnel were martyred in the attack," another Zinjibar-based security source confirmed to Anadolu Agency.

A medical source at the nearby Al-Razi General Hospital told Anadolu Agency that the hospital had received at least 15 injured.

Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late 2014, when the Shiai Houthi group and forces loyal to Former President Ali Abdullah Saleh overran capital Sanaa and other parts of the country.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a wide-ranging air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.

The Al-Qaeda terrorist group is also known to have a significant presence in the country, especially in Abyan province.