Two Yemeni ministers survive bomb attack in Shabwah

By Shukri Hussein

SHABWAH, Yemen (AA) – Two Yemeni ministers survived an assassination attempt in the southern Shabwah province on Monday, according to a local official.

Security forces arrested two men for attempting to plant an explosive device near the residence of Interior Minister Ahmed al-Maisari and Transport Minister Saleh al-Jabwani in the provincial capital, Ateq, the source said, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attempt.

The two ministers have arrived in the province last week for meetings with local officials.

On Saturday, al-Maisari criticized the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels - during a meeting with local officials in Ateq.

Tension has risen between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and UAE amid accusations for Abu Dhabi of supporting separatists in southern Yemen.

In August, scores were killed in clashes between Yemeni forces and the UAE-backed Security Belt Forces in the southern city of Aden.

In an attempt to ease tension in the southern city, the Saudi-led coalition said Sunday its forces have been repositioned in Aden to be under the command of Saudi Arabia.

Coalition forces in Aden had been under the UAE command since Riyadh and its Sunni allies began a massive air campaign in 2015 against Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, who overran much of Yemen a year earlier.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara