Yemeni security forces dismantle car bomb in Aden

Yemeni police forces on Monday defused an explosives-laden car that was found parked in a residential neighborhood in Aden province, two days after a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group killed 50 soldiers.

Residents of the neighborhood of Mu'alla reported to security agencies in Aden that they found a booby-trapped car, a senior official with the local government told Xinhua.

Police bomb disposal technicians arrived at the scene and defused the explosives after moving the booby-trapped vehicle to a safe place, spokesman for Aden's Police Command Abdul-Rahman Naqeeb told Xinhua.

Army forces cordoned off the area, and special anti-terror soldiers are still searching for suspected elements, the spokesman added.

The incident comes two days after a suicide bomber of the Yemen-based affiliate of the IS group struck an army base near Aden's international airport, leaving 50 pro-government soldiers dead and more than 40 others injured.

The IS suicide bomber disguised with military uniform and blew himself up as hundreds of soldiers gathered to receive their delayed monthly salaries, according to local sources.

The southern port city of Aden is the headquarters of Yemen's internationally-backed President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government.

Aden witnessed several well-planned assassinations and armed attacks after Saudi-backed forces drove the Shiite Houthi rebels out from the strategic city in July 2015.

However, the newly-trained anti-terrorism troops supported by UAE armored vehicles made substantial advances in recent weeks, disabling several explosives factories used by terrorists to make car bombs in Aden.

In addition, several leaders of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch were captured in raids conducted by the UAE-backed Yemeni forces in Aden and neighboring provinces.

Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East.

The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), also known locally as "Ansar al-Sharia," emerged in January 2009, claiming responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks against Yemen's army and governmental institutions.

The AQAP and the IS-linked terrorists took advantage of the security vacuum and the ongoing civil war to expand their influence and seize more territories in southern Yemen.

Security in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.

Over 10,000 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, many of them civilians.

source: Xinhua