Blast kills 3 UAE-backed troops in southern Yemen

By Shukri Hussein

ADEN, Yemen

Three Yemeni soldiers were killed in a bomb explosion targeting forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the southern Abyan province on Wednesday, according to a local security source.

The attack targeted a military vehicle of the UAE-backed forces as it was passing in the provincial capital Zanzibar, said the source, who preferred to be unnamed.

He added that several other soldiers were reportedly injured in the blast.

According to the source, the UAE-backed forces raided several homes following the attack, triggering clashes with residents amid reports of injuries.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack.

The security source, however, suggested that al-Qaeda operatives might be behind the attack.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Shia Houthis of serving as Iranian proxies -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.