Yemen soldiers queuing for salaries killed in suicide attack

ADEN // At least 40 soldiers were killed and about 50 others injured early on Sunday morning when a suicide attacker detonated a bomb outside the house of the commander of the special forces in Aden.

More than 10,000 soldiers were queuing to receive their salaries near the commander’s house when the attack took place, the spokesman of Aden’s police office Abdurrahman Al Naqeeb said.

"Some of the soldiers entered to receive their salaries, while others remained outside the fence of the house, and then the suicide bomber attacked the soldiers and detonated his explosive belt," Mr Al Naqeeb said.

"The number of those killed has exceeded 40 with some 50 others wounded," said Aden’s health chief, Abdel Al Wali.

He said the death toll was likely to rise as many of the injured were "critical cases".

Mr Al Naqeeb said the attack took place despite stringent check on the soldiers who were entering the house.

The attack came eight days after a similar bombing at Al Sawlaban claimed by the ISIL extremist group killed 48 soldiers and wounded 29 others.

Yemeni authorities have for months pressed a campaign against extremists in the south and east of the country.

ISIL and Al Qaeda have taken advantage of a conflict between Yemen’s internationally-recognised government and the Houthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa, to bolster their presence across much of the south.