ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) — The Islamic State (IS) group on Sunday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that struck a gathering of pro-government forces in Yemen’s temporary capital of Aden that left at least 49 soldiers dead.
An online statement made by IS on twitter claimed that “more than 70 apostates were killed in the jihadist attack.”
The suicide bomber who carried out the terrorist operation was identified as Abu Hashim Radfani, according to an official statement.
One of the group’s suicide bombers detonated his explosive belt at a crowd of pro-government forces who gathered to receive their salaries near the house of Brigadier Nasser Anbouri in Aden’s neighborhood of Khormaksar.
Sunday’s suicide attack comes less than two weeks after a similar attack claimed by the Yemen-based affiliate of the Islamic State group struck an army base near Aden’s international airport, leaving 50 pro-government soldiers killed and more than 40 others injured.
The southern port city of Aden is the headquarters of Yemen’s internationally-backed President Abdu-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.
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 the Saudi-led Arab coalition.
Over 10,000 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, many of them civilians.