August 2016 Aden bombing

On the morning of August 29, 2016, a powerful car suicide bombing was conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, on an army camp in Aden, Yemen in which 72 people died and 67 were wounded.[2] The attack took place as new military recruits were signing up in a local government school. Although Al-Qaeda has a large presence in the area, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant were the only ones to claim responsibility for the bombing.

August 2016 Aden car bombing
Part of the Aden unrest and the
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
Location of Aden Governorate in Yemen.
LocationAden, Aden Governorate, Yemen
Date29 August 2016
TargetPro-Hadi army recruits
Attack type
Suicide car bombings
Deaths71[1]
Injured67+
PerpetratorsIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Background

The bombing was one of a series of terrorist attacks by Islamist militants, including Islamic State, in Yemen. The attacks were especially directed at soldiers, public defense workers, and recruits, as a consequence of the 18-month-old civil war between the Houthi movement and Hadi's supporters.

Incident

On 29 August 2016, recruits at an army training camp had queued in line for breakfast, which was brought into the compound by a truck. According to military sources, the recruitment was for the Yemeni and Saudi Arabian led coalition army, fighting the Huthi rebels at the northern border with Saudi Arabia.[3]

The suicide bomber, a suspected member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, entered the compound behind this truck. He then drove his vehicle into the gathering of people, blowing himself up in a suicide car bomb attack and killing himself.

Immediate consequences

The large explosion collapsed the roof of a building, burying many people while causing damage to nearby buildings. Debris from the bombing was found all over the compound. At least 72 people were killed while at least 67 people were injured.

Responsibility

ISIS claimed responsibility and referred to the bombing as a "martyrdom operation".[4][5]

Reaction

President of Yemen, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi condemned the bombing and called it a "cowardly terrorist act" of militants. Editor-in-Chief of Yemen Post Hakim Almasmari called the incident a massacre, while stating that it is the worst terrorist attack that has ever occurred in Aden.

See also

References
  1. "'IS suicide bomber' kills 71 army recruits in Yemen - The Manila Times Online". Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  2. "Suicide Attack Kills Scores of Military Recruits in Aden, Yemen". Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  3. "Islamic State attack on army recruits in Yemen kills 54". Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  4. "Isis suicide bomb attack kills at least 54 in Yemen". 29 August 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  5. "Yemen: Death toll in ISIL's Aden bombing rises to 70". Retrieved 9 October 2016.

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